The Bookshop
by HopelessRomantic79
Summary: A chance meeting in a bookshop could lead to more between Jasper and Bella. AH, AU.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Thanks so much to my wonderful beta, EmmaleeWrites05. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Otherwise, Emmett and Jasper would be my boys. ;-)_

**The Bookshop**

_Chapter One_

**BPOV**

I never thought I'd be 22 and alone. Not that I mind… most of the time. I like solitude, it suits me. I'm used to it. It lets me delve into books, to think. To breathe. If my mom, Renee, had her way, I'd be out on a date with a different guy every weekend.

"Bella, honey, I just _worry _about you. You're a woman! You have _needs!_"

"Ugh, Mom, do NOT talk about my _needs._ I'm not you."

Renee had been a slight dating-whore until she met Phil. Now I get to hear him meet her needs. Every night. I hate my life sometimes.

I work in a bookshop. It's perfect, really. Each day I can surround myself with the written word, of adventures far away from Washington, of cultures so exotic I could barely fathom them, of romances too pure and too passionate to truly exist… It's my guilty pleasure, my addiction. Most of our customers are old; moms dragging in their kids for picture books, retirees looking for something to pass the time, professors digging around for new material, book collectors searching for a treasure.

That's why I never expected _him_ to walk through the door. It was a shining October day, a miracle in Forks, so no one was bothering to come into the shop. Why would they? I was counting the minutes until I could close the shop so I could enjoy the fading blue sky, and maybe catch a few stray sunbeams.

I was buried in my own worn copy of _Wuthering Heights_, when I heard the tiny bell on the door rattle. I looked up, and my prepared greeting died on my lips. There stood… Adonis. A… miracle in a red flannel shirt. He was tall, slightly muscular (from what I could tell from the well-fitting black T-shirt under his plaid shirt), and had the bluest eyes I had ever seen. My heart probably skipped a few beats, and then sped up until I swore _he_ could hear it from across the room. To make matters worse (or better), he smiled a quick grin my way before heading over to the history stacks. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. He had disappeared behind the stacks, but I could see his honey colored hair between rows. It was slighty wavy and long enough that I could pull my fingers through… Wait! What was I doing? Going out of my head for a guy I'd had a glimpse of for less than 5 seconds?!

I placed a hand over my still-racing heart, and took several deep breaths. _Calm… calm…_ I thought to myself. Minutes passed, and I didn't see anything but the peek of blonde through the stacks. My heart finally reached a reasonable speed, and I turned back to my book, but I was still sure that my face was bright red, my dead giveaway to embarrassment, nervousness, and excitement. I think at this point I was a combination of all three. I was glad he hadn't emerged from the shelves. I think the shock of seeing him twice so close together would have sent me into a heart attack.

Back to _Wuthering Heights. _Right. I could do this… I can concentrate… I kept my head down, trying to reabsorb myself in my fictional world, when I heard someone clearing their throat. I looked up and nearly died again. He was even more perfect close up. He was very tall, towering over my 5'4" frame, but not menacingly. He had clear blue eyes that were startling but hypnotic. A full mouth which begged to be kissed. Broad shoulders, lightly muscled arms… I was staring.

When I looked back up to his face, he had a slight smirk on his face. My heart gave a hard thud, and I tried desperately to focus.

"Di-… did you find what you were looking for?" He held several books in his hands, thick books.

"All but one. I was wondering if you had some sort of ordering system. I've been searching for this book for my grandfather, and his birthday is next week."

"Uh… yes. Yes. We do. Um…" My voice was shaky, and far too bright. I looked down. I could think if I didn't look directly at him.

"Yes. If you give me the title, we can look it up and make a special order in for you. And," I pushed a form out to him "when you give us your name and phone number, we can call you when the order gets in."

"Great."

I finally looked back up to him, pushed the form out to him, and handed him a pen. Our fingers brushed in the exchange, and my hand (and entire body) erupted in tiny goose bumps, and I swear an electric current passed between us. As our eyes locked, I jerked my hand back quickly, as if I had been shocked, and so did he. I cleared my throat quickly, and weakly asked, "Would you like me to ring up these other books for you now?"

"Yeah, thanks." He too cleared his throat and looked away from me. I was glad. I wasn't sure how much longer I could endure his presence. Not that I wanted him to go away… hardly. He just made me nervous, and I wasn't sure yet if that was a good or bad thing.

I quickly rang up his books, which were all about the Civil War. I wondered if they were for his grandfather that he'd mentioned, or himself. He shoved the form back to me, and paid for the books.

"Thanks," he said, quietly. He still wasn't looking back at me.

"You're welcome. We'll be getting into contact with you when the book comes in." My voice was still shaky, but I was grateful I'd come out of this with my sanity and dignity (mainly) intact.

"Great… bye." And he was gone. I slumped over the counter, not realizing how tense I had been since the moment he'd walked through the door. My heart was still running marathons in my chest, and I felt something akin to an adrenaline rush. I was shaky.

How on earth was this possible? I saw him for less than 5 minutes. Spoke with him even less. I know nothing about him except he may or may not read books on the Civil War, his grandfather's birthday was next week… and he was heartbreakingly gorgeous.

I glanced down at the sheet of paper he had thrust forward on the counter. He had a soft, sloping scrawl, messy yet somehow confident. My eyes immediately went to his name. Jasper Whitlock. A shiver went up my spine. Jasper. I immediately imagined myself moaning it, then undoubtedly turned scarlet. At least I knew I'd get to call him… when his book came into the shop. And I'd see him again. If only my heart and sanity could make it through that encounter… I sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks to my beta. You know who you are, doll face, and you're an angel!!! _

_Disclaimer: Don't own it. Lord knows I wish I did._

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Two

**JPOV**

I held a list of books in my hand. Some were for me, some were for Gramps, but both of us would end up reading them. All of them were about the Civil War. That was the thing we shared, since I was a boy. My gramps would put me to bed, usually after a lot of begging at my end, and tell me stories about the Rebel South and those Damn Yankees until I fell asleep. After the accident, when I was 12, I moved in with him, and the Civil War just tied us together even more. My grandfather was my best friend, and when we moved to Port Angeles from Texas just a few years ago, that bond grew even further.

His birthday was in just a few days, and there was one book in particular which was out of print and hard to find, and I wanted to get for him. I had searched all the book shops around Port Angeles, with no luck, and, astonishingly enough, even an Amazon search didn't pull up anything. I was getting truly frustrated, until I learned about a bookshop in Forks which had old books.

The day was bright and sunny, but still cold. I still wasn't used to the cold of Washington, and the rain made it worse. I relished any bit of sun I could get.

I first saw her through the window of the bookstore as I was pulling into the parking space. My breath caught in my throat. This girl, this _woman_ had pale, porcelain skin and long dark hair halfway down her back. She was tiny, and almost fragile looking. She was stunning, and that was just through the paned glass. I was half afraid, and half elated to walk through the door. She looked up at me, and an expression of, what, surprise, then shock, then… dare I say it, _lust_ crossed her face. This made me grin, and a sure-fire blush raced across her face. I found the history stacks quickly, and disappeared from her sight. The feeling in my gut was faintly foreign, and extremely powerful. It was definitely lust, and the stacks of the shop were not helping any of the fantasies that were passing through my brain, but I felt like there might have been more to it than that. _Knock it off, _I told myself. I willed the blood to go back into my arms, legs and brain, and away from other places… I tried to shake my thoughts away, and focused on the task at hand. Books. Right.

I gathered my wits and found the books on my list… all but one. The one I'd come all this way for. I sighed. I turned, and saw _her_ through the stacks again. Her eyes were glued to a ratty old book, nose halfway buried in the yellowed pages. My heart started some crazy dance. I couldn't believe the effect she had on me, how instant it was. I walked over to the counter, clearing my throat to get her attention. She startled and our eyes met instantly. Big, brown, doe eyes met mine. They were so clear, I wanted to lose myself in them. _Wow. I think I just fell in love. _Suddenly, I noticed her eyes weren't meeting mine anymore, but instead were wandering down my body. I smirked. I too took a quick scan of her body, and was not disappointed. The closer I got to her, the more trouble I was in. She was tiny, like I'd noted before, but didn't look nearly as fragile as she did from afar. A full bottom lip I wanted to suck on, to bite, a long graceful neck, small but firm breasts… _Shit._

"Di-… did you find what you were looking for?" she stuttered. She was adorable.

"All but one. I was wondering if you had some sort of ordering system. I've been searching for this book for my grandfather, and his birthday is next week."

"Uh… yes. Yes. We do. Um…" Seriously, she was too cute. She kept biting her bottom lip. I think I was making her nervous. I certainly hoped I was. I knew it was arrogant and presumptuous, but I think she liked what she saw. I knew I did.

"Yes. If you give me the title, we can look it up and make a special order in for you. And when you give us your name and phone number, we can call you when the order gets in."

"Great."

She shoved a form in my general direction, fumbled for a pen, and thrust her hand out towards mine. Our fingers brushed, and my heart stopped. I could swear I felt a prick of electricity pass from her hand to mine. The feeling went straight to my gut, but not before it jump started my heart. _Holy shit, what the hell was _that? Our eyes met again, and we jumped apart as if physically jolted. Her doe eyes were wide, but not frightened. She cleared her throat as if to break the moment and distract herself.

"Would you like me to ring up these other books for you now?" She started fumbling around the cash register, and I definitely knew she was nervous. Her entire face was beet red, and it was creeping down her neck. I'd like to follow that blush, see how far down it went…

"Yeah, thanks." I too cleared my throat and filled out the form fast. As much as my body wanted to linger near her, my brain was screaming at me to just get the hell out of there. I was overwhelmed by the vibes between us. It was too intense.

"Thanks." I couldn't quite bring myself to look at her. My hands weren't steady.

"You're welcome. We'll be getting into contact with you when the book comes in." I heard relief in her voice, and I wasn't sure if it was because she felt what I did, too. I hoped so. _Why do you hope so, you big idiot?! _

"Great… bye." I hurried out of the shop. As I walked out, I felt the charged air that had crackled between us subside. I breathed a deep sigh, but my hands were still shaky and my head felt like it was buzzing. _What the hell? You don't know anything about her, not even her name. Just because she's the most beautiful woman you've seen in your entire life doesn't mean…_ I shook my head, trying to make my thoughts escape me. She filled my mind, without my will.

I got in the car, and pulled onto the highway. _Just because she's sinfully beautiful, just because you'd like to make her breakfast after you make her scream your name out all night long… _I scolded myself. Wait. My name. My name! She has my name, and my phone number, on that paper. I'd see her again. I wanted to laugh out loud in joy. Jesus, I was turning into a pussy.

I was completely confused at this point. Obviously, my body was attracted to her. I couldn't stop thinking about pulling her into the stacks and taking her against the wall of books. How her voice would shout out my name as I made her see stars. How her lips would look around my… Fuck, I was hard. Yet at the same time, I didn't feel like it was just physical. Just because my dick reacted doesn't mean my heart would have. And I know I'd never felt that gut feeling before.

I would just have to wait and see. When the book came in, I could see her again. I'm sure I could dismiss this once I realized this was just an intense feeling of lust I'd never quite felt before. Yeah. That's what it was. Right.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own Twilight. Never have, never will. End of story.**

**Thanks to my beta, she's the best!**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Three

**BPOV**

I couldn't get my mind off of Jasper over the next few days. He haunted my dreams at night, and, irrationally, each day I hoped he'd walk through the door of the shop. We still hadn't found the book Jasper had requested, but my boss, Angela, had assured me she had a lead, and we'd be getting the book in as soon as possible. Jasper had said the book was for his grandfather, whose birthday was next week. I just hoped that it would come soon enough.

I still couldn't believe the reaction I'd had to him. It was so unlike me. I didn't fawn over guys. I never lost my head over them. Well, OK, there was the situation with Edward, but that was ancient history now. I was a hormonal, confused teenager with a bad crush on a guy who was wrong for me. Eventually, I woke up. I couldn't take his jealousy, his possessiveness, the panicked phone calls when I didn't check in at night, and the confessions of love I was too young to understand and too immature to fully commit to.

But that was all in the past. He was at medical school in Chicago, with a girlfriend named Alice who seemed to make him very happy. I was happy for him. He'd always be my first love, and I'd never forget him.

Jasper made me feel like a teenager again. After Edward and I ended things, I focused on controlling my life, controlling my heart. It had been four years since I had felt anything akin to the pulse of attraction like I did now. I felt panic that I couldn't control my emotions for Jasper now. Damn it. How could a virtual stranger have such a hold on me? It was simply unacceptable.

That night, for the first time in more than a few days, I had a dreamless sleep. I woke up refreshed, quickly showered, dressed, and ran downstairs for breakfast. Renee had, for the first time in forever, had actually made breakfast, and was sitting at the dining room table alone. I paused. I knew my mom, and she was definitely waiting for me, and she wanted something from me. I filled my plate and went in to sit with her.

"Mornin', Mom." I took a bite from my scrambled eggs.

"Mornin', hun. Sleep well?" Her question was too suggestive. She was prying.

"Yeah, great." Silence fell over the kitchen for awhile. I thought maybe Renee wasn't going to bring it up again; I obviously didn't want to talk, but then again, she rarely took _no_ for an answer.

I felt her eyes on me, studying my face. I ignored her, but she finally opened her mouth and uttered the words that I thought I'd never hear come out of her mouth.

"Honey, did you get laid?"

I choked on my orange juice. After I stopped spluttering and coughing, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and then gasped out, "What?! No! God, Mom, how could you say that?!"

"Well, you just have a different way about you. You're constantly thinking, and not like normal. You seem dreamy. I was just wondering if… _it… _had finally happened for you. You need someone, honey."

"Mom, you are my _mother._ You're supposed to tell me to wait until marriage, not encourage a _non-existent_ sex life."

"Well, did you at least meet someone?" I must have blushed, because her eyes lit up with recognition. "You did, didn't you! Tell me all about him."

"Mom, there's nothing to tell. There's no one. It's nothing…" I quickly gathered my empty plate, jumped up from the table and rinsed my plate in the sink.

"Right, there's no one." Renee sounded amused. "We'll see about that."

"I have to get ready for work," I mumbled, and ran up the stairs. How did she always know? I frowned. I hated that I was so transparent to her. I only hoped Jasper couldn't read me as well as she.

I quickly showered and dressed comfortably in faded jeans, a T-shirt, and my blue Converse. I was really low key, and I saw no reason to dress up for any one or any thing. Edward had always wanted me to dress for him, buying me clothes I dreaded putting on, but did because I was in love. Now, I was my own woman. Much to my best friend Rosalie's dismay, I acted like every day were casual Friday.

Thanks to Renee's little interrogation, I was running late, and therefore raced into the bookshop with only seconds to spare. I was so busy apologizing to Angela that I failed to see him initially.

I addressed Angela. "I'm so sorry I'm late, my mom decided to get all crazy and she got me into a late start…"

"It's OK. It's been kind of slow this morning. No one's here right now except that guy over there."

I glanced up, and my heart stopped. Again. Jasper was over in the corner, on a soft cushy green chair, reading a heavy tome. His hair was messier than it had been before, reminding me of sex hair. He was wearing glasses, and was concentrating seriously on his book. I forgot how to breathe.

I steeled myself, scolding my heart rate, and took a deep breath, facing Angela again. I acted nonchalant, though my insides were still leaping for joy. I would not fall apart this time. I couldn't let this stranger have this affect on me, no matter how beautiful he was.

"Isn't he _gorgeous_?" Angela gushed under her breath. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Ben, but still I felt a rush of jealousy.

"I hadn't noticed," I lied.

"He was on our list to get some book on the Civil War. It finally came in, so I called him this morning. He came in right away, looked really happy, and then just went over and made himself comfortable. He hasn't left since. I know I have Ben… but damn! He's absolutely delicious. Am I right or am I right?"

I flushed. "Sure, he's attractive."

"Attractive?! The biggest underestimation of the century! You're lucky you get to keep an eye out on that one, I've gotta dash." With a flurry of wild, curly hair and a stack of books she held to her tiny frame, Angela was gone.

I gulped.

**JPOV**

When the bookshop called me, I was giddy. Though I wasn't quite sure the voice on the other end was actually my mystery woman, I immediately jumped into my car before I'd even hung up my cell. The whole way to Forks, my brain tried to tell my heart to calm the fuck down. I shouldn't be so excited to see her again.

I finally reached the shop, parked quickly, and jumped out, anxious to see the angel again. She did have, after all, a heavenly body. _Shut up, idiot, _I told myself.

I felt my face visibly fall when I walked into the shop. The counter was occupied, not by the doe eyed girl, but an even smaller woman with huge curly hair and square framed glasses. She looked up and smiled at me, wishing me a good morning.

"Yeah, hi, I got a call from you about a book order? My name's Jasper Whitlock."

"Oh yeah. It was a hard one to get, but I pulled some strings." Foolishly, I studied her face, hoping to feel some spark of _something_, just to make sure it wasn't this place, this spot, that made me lose my head. I felt nothing.

"Thanks," I said, trying to regain some sanity. "My gramps is going to love this." I paid, but wasn't ready to leave yet. Before, I had come later in the afternoon. Perhaps she'd be in later. I didn't want to miss the chance to see her again.

"Do you have a place I could sit and read this?" I was feeling desperate.

"Didn't you say that was for your grandfather?"

Shit. "Well, yes, but once I give it to him, I'll never have the chance, and…"

She smirked. "Sure, over there."

She pointed towards the window, where there were a few comfortable looking chairs arranged together. I nodded to her in thanks, and seated myself.

It felt like hours passed before she finally walked in the door. She was dressed casually, and would have looked carefree, except her beautiful face looked slightly rushed, like maybe she were late to work. Her hair was still damp, and I tried very hard to not think of her in the shower. I don't think she saw me, so I took the opportunity to check out her ass, which was clad in tight jeans. I enjoyed the view. I suddenly remembered myself, and turned back to my book. I didn't want to be a pervert. _Too late, _I thought wryly.

She and her coworker were deep into conversation, then I sensed her eyes on me. I wanted to look up, to meet her gaze, but I refused to seem like a stalker. I was just a guy, reading my book… It's not weird to wait around all afternoon to see a girl I'd met for just 5 minutes, right? Yep, I was definitely a stalker.

Then, the other girl left, and me and the angel were alone. I continued to "read" my book; at this point, the words were a blur, and I couldn't process a single thing. Using my peripheral vision, I could see all of the goddess' movements. God, I was an idiot. Angel, goddess… siren. She was sitting at the counter, book in hand, her brown hair falling down around her face, framing it and her unmistakable blush. I had to talk to her.

I was not going to act like a quiet, shy idiot like I had last time. I wasn't going to act like a lovesick stalker. Definitely not lovesick. The stalker part was still a possibility, though.

I walked over to the counter, loudly enough so that I wouldn't startle her. This time, she'd be aware I was there. I wanted to still see if I made her nervous without the element of surprise.

"Hello." Simple and to the point. I ignored the fact that when she looked up, I felt that swift kick of desire, same as before.

"Hi." She didn't stutter this time. She didn't look around nervously, and she didn't immediately turn scarlet. I felt disappointment, then brushed it aside. Ridiculous. "Can I help you?"

"I just wanted to thank you. For finding my book for me."

"Oh, that wasn't me. Angela knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy…"

I chuckled, and she smiled back softly. I saw her cheeks redden slightly, which made me grin. I still had an effect on her. It was only fair, she had one on me, too. My heart was still doing tricks in my chest.

"So, I was wondering if there was a good place around here to get some coffee."

"Um, sure. Yeah, just down the corner, there's The Mix. They've got some good stuff. My friend owns it."

"Thanks. So, I was wondering, when you get off work today, could I take you there for a drink. Of coffee, that is," I added quickly.

"Me? Really?" she blurted out, then instantly looked like she regretted it. Her face was blazing red now. I smiled.

"Of course. You helped me get the book."

"No, it wasn't me, it was Angela, like I said before…"

"Yes, but you were here, with the form, on the first day. This book will mean a lot to him, you must let me thank you."

She furrowed her brow in confusion, and didn't respond for quite a few seconds. I began to feel like the biggest idiot in the world.

"Sure," she said simply, and I felt a huge grin break across my face.

"Great, what time?"

"Um, 5 o'clock. I have to lock up and everything first, though. So, say, 5:15? I'll meet you outside."

"That works for me. I'll see you then, I guess." I held out my hand to her, prompting her to shake it. "I'm Jasper, by the way. Jasper Whitlock."

She took it, reluctantly. Her hand was tiny and soft, but her handshake was firm despite the fact that she was trembling slightly. Inside my head, I was doing a tiny victory dance. _I affect her, I affect her, I affect her…_

"I'm Bella Swan," she said.

_Bella. _Beautiful. Literally.

"I'll see you at 5:15." I couldn't wait.

"See you then," said Bella.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, added and alerted my story. You guys are simply fantastic!**

**Thanks to my Master Beta, EmmaleeWrites05. She's the best.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight. We do own some tall pine trees on our property which Edward is perfectly welcome to climb, though. **

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Four

**BPOV**

4:59. In just sixteen minutes, I'd be back with Jasper. I had to get a grip now, or be lost forever. I still can't believe he asked me to coffee… or that I'd actually say yes. What was I thinking? I don't date often, and I most especially do not date men I just met, let alone ones who make me dizzy with a single glance. I was going to have to be careful. Very careful.

He appeared at the door at 5:11. He had a cute smirk on his face, and he gave a quick little wave. I mouthed "Hello," and sped up my final checklist for closing. I locked the doors at 5:14, and shrugged on my jacket to meet him outside.

"You're early," he said, grinning.

"Yeah, the hordes were fairly clean today," I joked, and he laughed.

"To The Mix?" he asked, and I nodded. He offered his arm to me, to link mine through his. I hesitated, and he must have noticed.

"Sorry," he said, and cleared his throat.

"It's alright. It's just that I just met you…"

"No, it's fine. I understand. It just felt natural." Now he was the one to turn slightly red.

Who was this guy? Was he feeling the same weird feelings as I was? I needed to get a grip and stop asking myself these questions or we'd never get through coffee.

We walked to The Mix, which my friend Tanya owned and operated. She too had fallen in love with Edward when she moved down to Forks from Alaska in high school. She had always hated me because he chose me. Luckily, we had grown past our ridiculous feud, and now we were close friends. She owned The Mix with her boyfriend, Felix.

Tanya greeted us at the counter. She shot me a look of surprise and Jasper a look of lust, then covered it with, "Hiya Bella, how're you? Who's your friend?" She winked. I wanted to throttle her.

"Hi Tanya. This is Jasper, and he's a customer from the store. We found a book he wanted and he's… umm… celebrating with me."

"I'll bet he is," she quipped, and I turned beet red. Jasper laughed nervously, we ordered our drinks. I shot Tanya one last glare, and she whispered "We'll talk later."

I followed Jasper to the table next to the window. It was raining, as usual. Since it was so late in the afternoon, no one else was in the place, save Tanya, who was pretending to make herself scarce, but I knew better. She'd be spying the entire time, and waiting to pounce on me for details when I'd see her next.

We made small talk about the weather, about The Mix, about the bookshop.

"So do you live in Forks? I never see you around town, and it's not like you'd be hard to miss." Oops. I kept doing that, saying more than what I wanted to, revealing too much.

He smiled. "No, I'm from Port Angeles. Well, actually Houston, Texas originally, but my gramps and I moved out here when I was 16. He grew up there and needed to come back. He missed it too much. He met my gram here, moved away when she died, and eventually felt 'the calling', as he likes to put it."

"Well, what about your parents?"

He smiled sadly. "They died in a car crash when I was 12."

My hands flew to my mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask that way, I'm so sorry…" He gently took his hands to pull mine from my face.

"Hey," he said softly. "You didn't know. It's OK. You haven't mortally offended me."

He stroked my hands. Despite my mortification, I felt that electric current again. This time, I didn't pull away from it, and neither did he. We glanced up at the same time, and his blue eyes met mine. I felt like I could get lost in them, they were so clear and honest. I have no idea how long we held each other's gazes. Seconds? Minutes? Eventually his hands stopped caressing mine, and he licked his lips. It was a small move, but it did two things. One, it broke the immediate tension between us, forcing my eyes to tear away from his. Two, it drew my eyes to his full lips. I imagined sucking on his bottom lip. Oh, hell.

"So…" I cursed my voice, it was slightly shaky again. "You like the Civil War? Or just your grandfather?"

"That would be both of us. We bond over the Confederacy."

I giggled. "The only thing I know about the South is from _Gone With the Wind._"

He groaned. "Ugh, I hate that movie. Hours of a whiny, selfish woman, the rich bastard she screws over, and hardly an action scenes."

"Hey, I happen to love that movie. Besides, there's lots of action. What about when they have to escape Atlanta with the stolen horse and the fire?"

He rolled his eyes. "The real action of the Civil War pales in comparison."

"Oh yeah, were you there?"

"No, but I know enough to know that movie wasn't it, baby."

My heart gave a hard thump as he called me 'baby.'

"So, besides an affinity for Clark Gable movies, all I know about you is your name is Bella. Care to share more?" Jasper gave a charming grin, and I melted a little bit. The more he spoke, the more I could hear his slight Texan accent, and the more I was drooling. He was just too handsome, and nice to boot. He wasn't helping. The more I knew, the more I liked, and the more I simply wanted to push aside propriety and jump him. I didn't even care if Tanya would see us, I would leap into his arms, crush my lips to his, and…

"Well, I was born here in Forks, but my parents divorced when I was just a baby. My mom took me to Phoenix with her, and I would come up here for summer vacations with my dad. He was the chief of police here, until he got really sick. Cancer. It was a really hard decision, but my mom moved us back to Forks when I was 16 so we could help Charlie, since he didn't really have anyone else. He's in remission now. I went to school at U Dub, and I just graduated this spring. I've been hanging out here, working at the bookshop, and working on my first book."

"Wow, you're a writer? What kind of book?" I think I blushed, because he smiled. "What? Something bad, huh?" he teased. "Let me see, I bet it's self help books, right? How To Seduce Perfect Strangers with Little Effort at All? Sex manuals? Kama Sutra for Dummies?"

I was on fire. I knew it, I was tomato red. I ignored mental images of Jasper and I entangled in various sex positions.

"NO!" I fairly shouted. "No, I write fiction. Historical fiction," I said in a quieter voice.

He had a glint in his eye. "Do you mean historical _romance _novels?" His voice was innocent enough, but I felt like it was a trick. The smile on his face broadened as I hesitated.

"Yes," I said confidently. After all, I wasn't ashamed of what I wrote. It was classy, it wasn't smut. I spent a lot of time researching and making everything as accurate as possible.

"Well then, that's interesting. What time period are you researching?"

I took a deep breath. "The Civil War."

His smile was so bright I thought I would melt into a tiny little Bella puddle at his feet. His was just too sexy for words.

"Let me guess, Yankee soldier, Southern Belle?"

"No. Johnny Reb, Northern gal."

He let out the sexiest laugh I'd ever heard in my life. "Now _that's_ a story I could get into!" He winked at me.

"Well, maybe you could help me research," I flirted back. I don't know where it came from, but whatever it was, I liked it. Apparently, so did he.

"Any time, darlin'. Any time." _Swoon._

"Sorry to interrupt, Bella, hun, but we have to close now. Felix is taking me out for our anniversary tonight," Tanya said. I had never wanted to strangle her more than I did at this very moment. She smiled apologetically.

"That's fine, I should really be getting back to Port Angeles. My grandfather will be wondering where I am, I was going to clean the garage out today. He really is like my mother, he nags at me all day if I don't do something."

I laughed. "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you from it. Sounds like something you'd hate to miss."

"Definitely, yes. It would be a tragedy."

I was loving our interaction now. I was much more comfortable with him. I was finally gaining control over my vocal cords, even though most of the time he simply left me breathless. I still wanted to jump his bones, and my heart was still misbehaving, however.

We walked out of the coffee shop, bidding goodbye to Tanya. By now, it was dark and lightly raining. We stood under the eaves.

"Bella, I'd really like to see you again. Would that be alright?"

"Yes, of course," I breathed. We were standing a mere foot apart, and the rain was dripping down over the gutters. We were lit only by a single light post. I shivered, but not because it was cold. This was just like a movie, perhaps one of those old black and white numbers where boy meets girl, or boy kisses girl. We had already met, so…

He kept looking at me, and I noted his eyes weren't quite focused on mine. They kept wandering across my face, from my eyes, and downwards. I hoped he was looking at my lips. God, I wanted him to kiss me. I bit my lip, hoping to inspire him.

"So, shall I just come into the shop, or should I give you my number?" he asked, and I noticed his voice was deeper than before. I shivered again.

"You can come any time you'd like, to the shop that is," I added quickly. "And as for your number… We already have it in the shop."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Good. Excellent. Great." He stumbled over his words, and it was positively adorable.

"So I'll see you around? Thanks for the coffee."

"Oh, I'll be around. It was great to talk with you, Bella. I'm looking forward to getting to know you." _Be still, my heart._

"Ditto," I said. I smiled at him, and he returned the favor. _I could fall in love with this man_, I thought.

He pulled me into a hug, which was much too short for my liking, but in that brief time, I could catch his scent, and he was all man, in the best ways. I felt it rush straight down to the pit of my stomach, and perhaps a little further south as well. Oh, God. My knees were just a little bit weaker.

"Good night, Bella. I'll see you soon."

"Good night, Jasper. I look forward to it. Drive safe."

He hesitated a moment, as if debating something, then gave a short nod, and walked into the rain to his car. I stood there a moment watching him. He looked like some kind of cowboy, climbing into his pickup and driving off. I clutched my hand to my stomach. Oh boy, was I in trouble now.

**JPOV**

Oh boy, I was in trouble. I drove back home with Bella on my mind the entire way. I had been half hoping and half afraid that getting to know her would break my illusion of her. That somehow she'd become just another girl, and I could move on from this bizarre fascination I had with her. It had done just the opposite. Now I had to know more, now I had to see her again. She was quickly becoming essential to me.

She seemed less nervous around me, but not entirely immune. Same goes here. I could actually flirt with her, tease her a bit. I loved seeing the blush of red on her cheeks and neck. She could floor me with a single glance. She was gorgeous, and sexy, and beautiful.

And it wasn't just her body, though Lord knows that fascinated me, too. I had nearly kissed her tonight, as we were standing in the rain. It had taken some force of sheer will-power I didn't know I had in me to walk away without pulling her body to mine and sampling her sweet mouth.

Bella was sweet, funny, smart, and witty.

I couldn't wait to see her again.

When I got home, Gramps was still up in the living room, probably waiting for me.

"Howdy, Gramps. How was your day?"

"Fine, just fine. Just catching up on some reading, the usual. Where were you? I thought you had stuff to do today."

"Yeah, I kind of got distracted in Forks."

"Forks? What the hell was in Forks?"

"Bella," I said simply. "Gramps, I think I'm in love."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: For being such amazing readers and reviewers, I'm posting this early. You guys are the best! Just so it's clear, I don't have an exact posting schedule. Don't expect me to be updating this quickly all the time. But who knows, I just might, I've been really inspired lately. Perhaps a few more reviews might inspire me further... *Know what I mean, know what I mean, nudge nudge, wink, wink, say no more, say no more* ;-)**

**EmmaleeWrites05 is the Best. Beta. Ever. :-D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I own some of its merchandise, though.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Five

**JPOV**

Gramps had been shocked at my revelation. I had dated my fair share of women, but none of them had ever really stuck. The closest I had got was Maria, before we'd moved here when I was 16. But that was so long ago now, and we had been kids. I never felt anything for her like I did for Bella now, and I had certainly hadn't loved Maria. I was sure I loved Bella. I couldn't explain it, so I didn't even bother to question it. I just knew.

I slept like a baby for the first time in the days I'd met Bella, and decided that after work, I'd make my way over to Forks. Maybe I could convince Bella to join me for dinner. I worked at the high school as a history teacher. I'd never set out to be a teacher, but somehow life had thrown me the curve ball after graduating college, and I found myself at the high school. I loved my job.

School ended at 3:15 sharp, and I think I was out of the classroom before most of the students. Bella had been on my mind all day long, and I was itching to get to her. I probably broke every speed limit on the way there, but I didn't care. My siren was calling me.

I made it to Forks in record time, and pulled in front of the shop. I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding when I saw her gorgeous face through the glass door. I tried to be the nonchalant, tough guy, but failed miserably. I practically bounded into the shop, a huge shit-eating grin on my face.

This time, I definitely startled her, but instead of balking, Bella burst into laughter.

"What's gotten into you?!" she asked in astonishment. Her eyes were bright.

"Oh nothing. It must be the weather, I'm just in such a good mood."

She laughed, and it was a beautiful sound. "Ignoring the rain and fog, I'm sure you're right."

I looked outside. It was a deluge. "Oh, right. Rain. It must be growing on me."

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking behind the counter. Several customers came into the shop to browse, but for the most part, we were alone. I found myself falling for her even harder with each fact I learned about her. She was a klutz, and really liked cooking and classic literature. She had a laugh like bells, and smelled like strawberries. I never grew tired of hearing about her life, and I found it very easy to share myself with her.

It seemed like minutes, but soon it was time for her to lock up.

"Will you have dinner with me?" I asked.

"Yes, I'd like that," she smiled. "Just let me sweep up really quick, and we can get out of here."

It didn't take much time for her to get everything in order, and we found ourselves in the rain and wind.

"You were saying we were having lovely weather?" Bella smirked.

"Yeah, I might have lied about that." We laughed together as we raced across the street to the diner. It was warm and filled with locals. Bella seemed to know everyone, from the patrons to the waitresses. She was sweet and friendly with all of them. I was glad to know that she didn't have a different face for a different person.

We were seated in the back, at a table for two. There was no candle light, no buckets of champagne, no roses, no soft violin music in the background. It was perfect.

We kept up a good conversation throughout dinner, as we had in the shop. We never seemed to end out of things to say to each other. We had similarities and differences, but none so terrible they couldn't be ignored or compromised. Bella seemed relaxed and comfortable with me, the first time that had fully happened between us. I enjoyed making her nervous, but that can't last forever, and I was glad to know I still felt the tug of attraction after knowing her a little bit better.

Before we knew it, it was 10 o'clock, and the diner was closing. I walked her to her truck, annoyed that I had to leave her.

"So, Jasper, I've had a great time tonight. Um…" My blushing girl was back. I smiled, despite myself. "I have tomorrow off. I was kind of wondering if you'd like to meet sometime in the afternoon."

"Yes, that'd be great," I said calmly, which did not reflect the inner joy I was feeling. "I have work until around 3:30, but I'd love to see you afterwards. Should I meet you at the shop?"

"Well, I was sort of thinking I could meet you in Port Angeles." _Score!_

"Sure, that way I could have home court advantage," I joked, and she lightly blushed. We arranged a time and place to meet the next day. I was rejoicing on the inside. My angel, my love, wanted to see me again!

We were standing next to her Chevy awkwardly. Neither one of us seemed to want to part just yet. We were standing less than a foot apart, and there was a definite surge of electricity passing between our bodies. I felt it thrum, and allowed it to spread throughout my body. I wanted her, and badly.

She looked up at me with her big doe eyes, biting her bottom lip, and that was my final undoing. Reminding myself to be a gentleman, I pulled her gently to me, tugging on her wrists. She slightly stumbled into me, and I remembered her telling me she was clumsy. I smiled at her, and she blushed and smiled softly back. I took a deep breath.

"Would you mind if I kissed you now?"

She shook her head. "No, I wouldn't mind."

"Thank God," I muttered, and molded my lips to hers. I held back a moan as I felt how soft and pliant her mouth was. It was warm and sweet, just like I thought it would be. Bella didn't take too long to respond, as her arms wound around my neck and her lips massaged my own. I felt her fingers at the nape of my neck, lightly playing with my hair as I pulled her hips closer to mine and deepened the kiss. Her tongue eagerly met mine, fighting for dominance of the kiss. I won, and explored her sweet mouth. She tasted better than I'd imagined. We kept our embrace for minutes, hours, years, becoming more and more needy, and then I remembered we were standing at her car in the pouring rain, and if I wasn't careful, I'd end up taking her against the hood of her red clunky truck. I reluctantly broke the kiss, and pulled away from her, but not before placing a line of kisses down her throat. She sighed, and the sound went straight to my dick. _Easy, fella. Be a gentleman… _Her eyes fluttered open.

"Wow," she whispered, and I felt the same.

"Yeah," I whispered back. She looked up at me, and I just had to steal another kiss from her. Her mouth was red and slightly swollen, and I loved that I had made it that way. I made the kiss as chaste as possible; I knew that if I didn't watch myself, I'd never stop.

"I have to go," I said, and I hoped it was clear to her that I didn't want to leave.

"Right," she said, and looked as disappointed as I felt. _Good. _"But I'll see you tomorrow," she added hopefully.

"I can't wait," I grinned. I kissed her one last time for good measure, barely a peck and leaving me hungry for more. I pulled away from her, though that was the last thing I wanted to do at the moment. We fit together so well.

"Good night, Bella."

"Good night, Jasper." She gave a quick little wave, biting her lip again. I nearly ran back to her, to take her place and nibble her lip for her, but found one edge of sanity, and refrained. I watched to make sure she got her truck started and disappear around the corner before I got into my own car. The whole way back, I thought of Bella. She was _my_ Bella now, whether she knew it or not.

**BPOV**

I don't know how I got back to my house in one piece, because the only thing I could concentrate on was the feel of Jasper's lips on mine. This day had turned into a miracle, and I could scarcely believe it was real.

His kiss… Wow, I couldn't even describe the way it had made me feel. It blew every movie kiss or any romance novel love scene I'd ever seen or read out of the water. I was still shaky from its impacts when I unlocked the door and found myself in my bedroom. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, and quickly sought speed dial #1: Rosalie. She had been my best friend since I moved back to Forks, and the only person I could confide in for something as important as this.

"Hello?" Rosalie moaned. Oh great. She was with Emmett, my big burly cousin. They had been dating since junior year of high school, the prom king and queen, football player and cheerleader. Actually, they made a wonderful couple, but the last thing I wanted to hear was the two of them going at it while I tried to talk to Rose.

"Should I call back, Rose?"

"No… no... it's OK. _Emmett, knock it off, don't… mmm… Stop it!_ No, Bella, really, it's OK. What's up?"

I tried to block out her background noises. That was just too gross. "Listen, Rose, I'll just call you back tomorrow. I don't want to hear you and Emmett have sex. It can wait until tomorrow."

"We're not having sex! _You hear that baby, we're __**not having sex**__." _I heard a groan of displeasure._ "_But I guess if you want talk about it later, if it can wait…"

"It can most definitely wait," I assured her, and then said my goodbyes. Eww.

I got ready for bed, and slipped under the quilts. I couldn't fall asleep for a long time, my mind was too filled with Jasper and that kiss. He was perfect. Well, not perfect. But I got the feeling he just might be perfect for me. It scared me a little, but it thrilled me, too. I couldn't wait to see him tomorrow. I hated that we lived in two different towns. It was the biggest flaw in our… friendship? Relationship? Acquaintance? I wasn't sure what to call it.

I held my fingers to my lips, tracing the path his tongue had earlier. Licking my lips, I tried to capture the last flavors of his mouth, but all I tasted was Colgate from brushing my teeth. I sighed. I was pathetic. But somehow, I was willing to be pathetic for him. And maybe tomorrow I'd get another kiss. Sleep finally found me, and when it did, I dreamed of Jasper, and kisses in the rain.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, you guys are awesome!!! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing... you rock!!! Also, special thanks to my team supporters, EmmaleeWrites05 (who's also an amazing beta), LittleLea05 and BlackHawk13. You guys keep me going. THANK YOU!!! :-)**

**A quick question to clear up: Bella is 22 and Jasper is 25. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Obviously.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Six

**BPOV**

I officially fell in love with Jasper the day I went to visit him in Port Angeles. We had agreed to meet by the docks, which would have sounded sketchy if it were anyone but Jasper. By some small miracle, it was another sunny afternoon, and the water and sky were bluer than I could remember in a long time. I tried not to credit Jasper to it, but ever since I'd met him, life seemed a little bit brighter.

We touched on so many topics I couldn't keep track of them all; yet somehow, I remembered everything Jasper said. It astonished me how compatible we seemed to be. He was the yin to my yang. As we walked along the docks, I studied Jasper's profile inconspicuously. In the sunlight, his hair was golden, and as he walked and talked, sometimes he'd lower his head so the hair fell into his eyes. I stuffed my hands in my pockets to keep from brushing it from his forehead. He was so sexy; I barely knew what to do with myself.

Neither one of us wanted the day to end, but he had papers to grade, and I was due for a phone call with Rose. I'd received more than two dozen texts and voicemails from her throughout the day, wanting to know why I'd interrupted her little love session with Emmett. She was much more curious in the light of day, and when Emmett wasn't within fifty feet of her.

Jasper walked me to my car just as the sun was setting. I paused after unlocking it, turning back to him. He was closer to me than I'd anticipated, and he had placed a hand on either side of me, on top the car. I was effectively trapped in his arms. I didn't mind one bit.

His eyes traced a path from my eyes to my lips, and back again slowly. It was torturous, waiting for him to make a move. I licked my lips in anticipation. My breathing sped up until I was nearly panting, and I found that so was he.

"Bella…" he whispered, sounding pained. "Bella… I'm trying very hard to be a gentleman right now. You're making it very hard to be, I hope you know that."

"Who says I want you to be a gentleman?" I asked softly, challenging him. He swore under his breath, and then crushed his mouth to mine. This was not like our kiss last night. That kiss had been full of promise and caution and tenderness. This kiss was raw, needy and passionate. Somehow, we entwined our bodies so I was pushed against the car, one of his legs between mine. His hands were roving over my back and sides… just shy of the places my body so desperately wanted for him to be. I cursed him for it, and then was grateful. After all, we were standing in the middle of a public area, in almost broad daylight. And this was only our third official date. I didn't want to be one of _those_ girls, but at the moment I'd be more than happy to be one. Only a good sense of public indecency caused me to part my lips from his.

His head dipped to kiss my neck, concentrating on the spot just behind my ear. I squirmed, that spot was really ticklish, but also felt divine with his tongue there. I moaned, which spurred him on. He moved to the apex of my neck and shoulder, leaving tiny kisses intermixed with licks and tiny bites. I shivered and moaned even louder than before. I gripped his forearms pulling him infinitely closer to me. I had forgotten where we were again and I no longer cared.

"Jasper," I gasped. "Oh God, Jasper, that feels so good!"

He quit his ministrations on my neck, meeting my eyes. His mouth was swollen from our kisses and his eyes were dark with desire. I shivered again. "God, Bella, I don't want to, but I have to leave you now." My face fell. I swallowed, feeling rejection slide down to my gut.

"No, no! It's not like that!" he sighed. "It's just… damn it Bella! If we don't stop now, we're going to get arrested for having sex in public. I swear to God…" He ran his fingers through his hair. He looked so flustered and cute, I laughed. He stared at me in bewilderment. I kept laughing and he was staring at me in shock and awe.

"God, I just don't know what to do with you Bella," he finally said. I was wiping tears from my eyes as I saw a huge grin break out across his face.

"Well, I can think of several things…" I said. His eyes bugged out, and his took a step away from me, but not before I felt something hard against my stomach. My knees were weak when he pulled away from me. He sighed again.

"Bella, you're going to drive me crazy. In fact, I think you already do. In fact…" He paused. "Never mind. I'll tell you later. In the meantime…" He pulled me to him again, giving me a sweet kiss that went straight down to my toes. "I have to go. I lo-… err… like you too much to do this here and now. You deserve better. I'd apologize for earlier, except I'm really not." He gave me a sexy smirk. "Darlin', I've got to go." He gave me a chaste kiss, and opened my door for me. "And you've got to go. I'll call you, OK?"

"You better," I replied and started my truck. I gave the horn a few beeps before waving and driving off, back to Forks. My mind was swimming.

I called Rosalie as soon as I got back to my house. She was waiting for me.

"Why in the HELL haven't you called me back?! I thought you were dead or something. Jesus, Bella."

"I was out."

"With who? Where? Why?"

"How?" I asked amusedly. "Rosalie, calm down. I'm fine. I was in Port Angeles."

"Without me?! I wanted to go shopping with you and you said no! What gives, Bella?" She sounded hurt. I decided telling her about Jasper would ease her pain.

"I was with… a friend. I just met him, you don't know him."

"Him?!" she squealed. "Oh my God, Bella, you HAVE to spill!"

I told her about Jasper; how we'd met, how I'd frozen like a moron, how he was sexy and smart and funny and charming… And then I got to the kisses. Both of us were sighing and swooning by the time I finished my story.

"Bella, I can't believe you kept this from me. You never meet anyone, let alone someone who gives you epic kisses in the rain and during sunsets. Let alone one who nearly takes you against your car because he just can't help himself!"

"Well, it's not like I didn't try, just because you were playing kissy face with my cousin…" I joked.

Eventually, we hung up. I wanted to call Jasper. I wanted to hear his sexy drawl wish me goodnight. When it came to that boy, I was simply a goner. I was still slightly confused about his 180 switch from polite, getting to know you conversation, to practically dry humping in a parking lot, but I really couldn't have cared less. This was a new development I was more than willing to explore.

**JPOV**

Gramps would have killed me if he knew that I practically attacked Bella in the parking lot of the docks. He may have been raised in Washington but he was all about being a good Southern gentleman. I couldn't tell you what made me push her against that car but I was so glad I had. She responded just as eagerly as I and it just proved to me that we were in sync in so many different aspects of life and love. Love. Oh yeah, I loved her. Nothing was more abundantly clear to me than that fact. I also knew, or rather suspected, that she felt the same. I'd just have to convince her of it.

The next few days, I didn't get to see my Bella, though we talked on the phone for hours at night. I was too busy with meetings, grading, and creating tests, and she was focused on her writing. I wanted to see her so bad, it almost ached. Before, I would have told you that people who pined for their lovers were simply crazy, but now I saw their point.

I wanted her, too. Our last kiss had speared me with desire, and it had nearly made me snap and lose all control. Yeah, I was horny. I could admit that. I wasn't a teenager anymore, but damn it, Bella could very nearly make me cum with a single glance. It almost made me afraid of when (not if) we got past first (or maybe second, I'm pretty sure our hip movements had been close to second) base, that I'd make a mess of myself a lot sooner than I'd like to. Devil woman.

A week before Halloween, I got a phone call from Bella. She sounded apprehensive.

"Hey Jasper, so, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to my friend Rosalie's Halloween party. I mean, if you have plans already, that's OK, but-"

"Bella! Calm down! Of course, I'd love to come with you. I miss seeing you."

"I miss you, too." I swore I could hear her blushing. I loved that blush. "So, what are you dressing as? I know it sounds dorky, but I was thinking maybe we could, you know, match."

I pretended to groan. "Oh my God, we're not going to be one of those couples who always has to match sweaters when we go out in public, are we?" I whined.

She giggled. "Couples, huh?" _Shit. _Well, now's as good a time as any, I supposed. I just hated doing it over the phone.

"Yeah, couple. As in me and you, and only me and you. What do you say, darlin'?"

I could practically hear her grinning. "Yes! So, are you my boyfriend now, or what?"

"I think so, baby." The grin on my face would so big; I thought my face would split in two. "I wish I could kiss you right now."

She moaned softly. "Yeah, me, too. The next time I get my hands on you…" It was my turn to groan. Images of us together pounded in my brain.

"Honey… You're playing with fire. Let's go back to this whole costume thing before I bust out of my pants."

She giggled, and that just made problems worse for me. I was thoroughly hard.

"Actually, my friend has some ideas for us. She just wanted to know your size. I normally don't trust her with stuff like this, you know, clothing me and whatnot, but I think she's got a pretty good idea, and I kind of want it to be a surprise."

"Darlin', I'm in your hands," I told her. We talked for awhile longer, and then I had to go get ready for the football game at school. It was mandatory for all teachers to attend them, which I had always found ridiculous. I liked football as much as the next guy, but this was precious time I could be spending talking to Bella.

The day before Halloween, I got a big FedEx box at work. I waited until I got home to open it. It was really heavy, and stuffed full. On top was a note. "Your Yankee gal will be waiting for you, soldier. See you tomorrow. Kisses, Bella." _Holy shit, I think I've just cum._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I love reading all your messages. It keeps me going. Thanks to "Doll Face," my beta. :-D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I'd very much like to own Jasper in Confederate garb.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Seven

**BPOV**

I smoothed the wrinkles out of my hoop skirt as I did the final costume check. I felt like I looked ridiculous, but I was still excited to see Jasper's reaction. Since I'd told Rosalie about Jasper's and mine conversation in the coffee shop about Rebel soldiers and Northern women, she had been adamant that we dress up as such for Halloween. I never could find the heart to tell Rosalie no. Besides, I bet Jasper will look sexy as hell in his costume.

When I finally made it down the stairs, the party was in full swing. It felt like the entire town of Forks under the age of thirty was crammed into Rosalie and Emmett's tiny living room. With great difficulty, thanks to my dress, I made it over to where Emmett had set up a bar. He was dressed in a red silk robe and pajama pants. "What the heck are you?" I asked.

He grinned at me. "I'm the Hef, baby!" I rolled my eyes.

"You would be Emmett, you would be. Lemme guess, Rosalie's running around like a Bunny someplace?"

"You betcha! And what are you? Little Miss School Marm-Bo Peep?" His eyes twinkled in amusement, and I very maturely stuck my tongue out at him. He poured me a drink, cranberry and vodka.

I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I turned and felt my stomach clench. There was Jasper, standing in a full Confederate officer's uniform. The grey of the uniform made his eyes look even bluer and they were looking at me with a mix of lust and amusement.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said in a more exaggerated drawl than his own. "I believe I was summoned here into enemy territory to court a young Miss Bella Swan. Am I correct in assuming that would be you?"

I laughed and threw myself into his arms, causing the back of my hoop skirt to flip up a bit. I didn't care. "Why yes, sir," I replied in a fake, high pitched tone, hugging him tightly. In my own voice, I said, "That's not the uniform I sent you, this one's better! Where did you find it?!"

Even in the darkness, I could see his ears redden a bit. "I sort of already had one."

"Wow, you must really be into the Civil War."

"More than you know," he muttered, and then took my hand. "Come on, I want to dance with my girlfriend." My heart burst as he said _girlfriend._

"It'll be tough to do, with this damned hoop skirt in the way."

"Then we'll just have to find a way to get you out of it," he whispered into my ear. I shivered, and we both blushed. I was remembering our last kiss in the parking lot, and how much I'd love for him to remove _all_ of my clothing, not just the hoop skirt. I got the feeling he was thinking along the same lines as me.

"You look really beautiful as my Yankee girl," he said.

"Well, considering how handsome you look in that uniform, I'd definitely be willing to go South for you."

"I was hoping you'd say something like that," he said, and it took all of my willpower to not jump him in the middle of the party. Why was it that we were always in public when I wanted to jump his bones?!

I managed to tear myself away from him long enough to take off my hoop skirt so we could dance. When I came back downstairs, the music was booming loudly, and I could see Jasper had gotten himself into conversation with Emmett as he was drinking a beer. My heart stuttered. He was so handsome and sexy in that uniform and he was _mine_. I didn't know how I was going to be able to keep my hands to myself throughout the night. Then again… he _is _my boyfriend. Who says I have to keep my hands to myself?! I grinned at the thought, and made my way over to him.

Jasper and Emmett were deep in some conversation. I moved behind Jasper, wrapping my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his back. He smelled amazing, and I hummed with pleasure.

"Bella, are you drunk? I only gave you one drink!" Emmett exclaimed. I shot him a look that hopefully shot daggers. It only made him smile more broadly, his dimples making an appearance. I glared at him and merely said,

"Of course not, Emmett. Can't a girl hug her boyfriend?"

His eyes bugged out. "Boyfriend?! He just said you guys met a few weeks ago! Does Rosalie know about this? Damn, no one tells me anything."

"Yeah, well, he's my boyfriend, so you better be nice to him. Let's dance, baby." I took Jasper's hand in mine, and pulled him out to dance with me. Normally I hate dancing, but somehow the fact that was I wrapped around Jasper made up for the fact that I had to actually dance. We found ourselves in the same position as we had been in the parking lot, with one of his legs between mine, our hips grinding against each other. I couldn't hear the music and I didn't see the others around us. It was just me and Jasper, in our own little bubble, growing closer and closer to each other as the minutes passed. We were completely tangled in one another, and I was beyond turned on.

Jasper began planting kisses up and down my neck. We swayed, and his teeth grazed my sensitive skin, causing goose bumps to erupt over my flesh. His lips left a trail of kisses from my shoulder, to my jaw, to my forehead, and finally to my mouth. I eagerly returned his kiss, deepening it from the start. With the combination of our kiss, lightly flavored with alcohol and Jasper, to the movement of our bodies, I was euphoric. His hands gripped my hips tightly, pulling me closer, and moaned into my mouth.

"What do you say we move this someplace else?" he whispered huskily. I merely nodded, for the kiss had robbed me of my ability to speak. He grasped my hand, and pulled me out of the room. I noticed he walked with a slight limp, and I bit my lip to hide my laughter. He needed me as badly as I needed him.

He pulled me outside, away from prying eyes and the loud music, into the corner of Rosalie and Emmett's backyard. He maneuvered us so that we were behind a grove of trees, close enough so we could see the house, but no one could see us. He captured my lips again in a blistering kiss. I whimpered as he pulled my bottom lip between his and started nibbling and sucking on it. My hands found their way into his hair, feeling his silky strands and tugging on them slightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get him riled up. I found myself against a tree, and for the first time all night was glad for all the layers I was wearing. This would really hurt if I were wearing any less. In any case, Jasper hoisted me against the rough bark, and my legs instinctively went around his waist. He was moaning my name, and we were panting and grinding against each other like hormone-riddled teenagers. If we kept this up, I was going to cum without him even touching me down there, without shedding a single shred of clothing. The fact that we were in costume only made it hotter. I was burning up; Jasper was driving me insane, and I loved it.

"BELLA!!!" Rosalie bellowed from the house. I ignored her, and began sucking on Jasper's neck. I wanted to leave a mark. _Mine, _I thought. "Bella, where the FUCK are you?? I know you're out here!!! Don't make me come out there and find you." I groaned, and pulled my lips from Jasper's neck. Yep, definitely would leave a mark there. Jasper looked like he was about to commit murder and I giggled softly.

"I'm sorry, Jasper. I'm going to kill Rosalie later, I swear."

He chuckled. "It's OK. Once again, my love, I was seconds away from taking you against some inappropriate surface. The first time we do this, I want it to be in a bed, preferably. You deserve better than a tree. You just make it very hard for me to think with one head, I start thinking with another whenever I'm around you…"

I kissed him again and unwound myself from his body, adjusting my clothes and hair. I hadn't noticed before, but I was soaking wet and incredibly aroused, and I hated moving my body away from his. We were like magnets. I held out my hand for him to join me back into the house, but he didn't take it. "Honey, I'll join you in a minute. There's a… pressing issue I need to attend to."

I bit my lip and held back a moan, knowing I had made him that way. The only thing I wanted to do was run back to him and help him out with his "issue", but I knew Rosalie would come looking for me at any moment, and the last thing I wanted was for her to find me on my knees.

I nodded, and raced back into the house. Rosalie was standing there, hands on her hips, dressed in a pink Playboy bunny costume, tail, ears and all. She looked amused. I was not.

"What the hell, Rosalie?! You're always the one spouting off about me needing to get laid. Good lord, why did you interrupt us?"

"Because I know you, and I know that you shouldn't have your first time with him be in the middle of the forest in the pouring rain."

"It's raining?!" I exclaimed. I hadn't even noticed. She smirked.

"Yes, and you look like a drowned rat. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

When I headed back downstairs, Jasper was waiting for me at the landing. I had put my hoop skirt back on, and it felt like we were in _Gone with the Wind_ or something like that. I knew he hated the movie, but come on, how could you not find it utterly romantic?!

"Have you taken care of your… problem?" I whispered.

"Yeeeah…." he said, and looked slightly embarrassed. "No thanks to you!"

"Don't worry, next time, I'll be more than willing to help out. A lady never leaves a gentleman in such a state."

"You're no lady, and I'm no gentleman," he growled. My heart pounded and little shivers of thrill raced through me.

"I think you might be right, there," I said, and smiled as I took his hand and led him back to the party.

**JPOV**

Bella was going to be the death of me. I was sure of it. I was already her slave, but I didn't mind one bit. My body reacted to hers so potently as it is, but seeing her tonight in that Halloween costume… I was hard before we'd even stepped onto the dance floor. She was my every dream, rolled into one beautiful person. The music pounded, and we got closer and closer. I felt like a teenage boy again.

Emmett, who introduced himself as Bella's cousin, was really cool. He also seemed really protective, long before Bella had even announced we were dating. I'd have to watch myself there. He looked like he could smash my face in without a second thought… but wouldn't, unless I really fucked up. I vowed I wouldn't fuck up, and not just because I don't want to end up on the receiving end of one of Emmett's punches.

The rest of the night went smoothly, without much more than some conversations with Rosalie, Bella's best friend, and some other random people from Forks I was introduced to. Bella and I ended the night with a sweet kiss. Knowing we both wanted more made it hard for me to leave it at that, but I couldn't allow myself to mindlessly take her like an animal… Not yet, anyways. There'd definitely be time for that later. For now, I had to pretend I was at least some form of gentleman, even though we both knew better.

Midterms were next week, so I couldn't spend the time with Bella like I wanted. We met once for coffee on Saturday afternoon, at The Mix, like our first date. We'd gone back to her house where we made out like teenagers on her bed, but we stayed firmly at second base. It was frustrating and wonderful. Even though I was in love with her, I didn't want to rush her, either. We were both waiting for the right time. I just knew that if the right time weren't soon, I was going to die from a major case of blue balls.

I picked up my cell, and dialed her number.

"Hey, Bella, it's Jasper… I really need to see you, and soon."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to my awesome beta, EmmaleeWrites05. You're the best, m'dear!!! This chapter is kind of short, but hopefully content makes up for quantity!!! :-D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If I did, there'd be much more sexy time.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Eight

"_Hey, Bella, it's Jasper… I really need to see you, and soon." _

**JPOV**

"Jasper Whitlock, are you booty calling me?" Bella sounded amused.

"Yeah, I think I am."

"Thank God," she sighed.

We agreed to meet at her place, since her mom and step-dad were apparently out of town.

"Don't you think it's rather pathetic that we're both in our twenties and we have to arrange our dates according to our parents and grandfather's schedules?" she asked with a laugh.

I snorted. "Yeah, you would have thought we'd have gotten past this stage. This is what we get for not moving out when we ought to have."

I couldn't get to Forks fast enough. I know I broke every speed limit on the way. When it came to getting to Bella, little things like laws had little meaning. I practically ran to her door, and not just because I was finally going to be with my girlfriend and the woman I loved; though that was on the forefront of my mind. I had missed her.

She opened the door in a robe which was red and looked silky. I moaned, and she didn't say or do a thing, merely stepped back to let me in and crooked her finger to make me follow her. I was hooked, a goner. I followed her like a lost puppy into her bedroom and I swear I might have been drooling a little. We got to her bedroom and she shut the door behind us. The room was dimly lit and smelled like strawberries, just like her hair. At the moment, her long brown hair had been curled lightly, and it surrounded her head like a heavenly cloud, and her full mouth was red and inviting, pulled into a sexy pout. Her skin had never looked so creamy and soft and my hands were itching to see what she had under that short robe. "Jasper…" Her voice broke me from my trance.

"Yeah, honey?"

"I need you," she said simply, and I was lost. She was locked into my arms, and I didn't know if I'd ever be willing to let her go ever again. "Make love to me," she whispered, then she sealed her lips over mine. I couldn't hold back my passion for her at that moment. We both swallowed each others moans as our lips and tongues worked together. My hands were wandering everywhere, finally resting on her cute little bottom, lightly kneading her flesh there. She mewled and began attacking my neck. When she discovered the shell of my ear, I nearly came. I never knew that spot was so sensitive… but then, maybe it was just Bella. I ground my hips into hers, and she sighed, her knees going slightly weak. She tugged on my hand and pulled me to the bed with her.

I laid on top of her, keeping our lips locked together. I wanted desperately to grind my hips into hers, but I held back. This was about her, about both of us. For this first time, we'd go slow.

I felt her fumbling below me, and saw that she was trying to unknot the belt on her robe. "Bella, darlin', allow me." I untied the knot and parted the robe at the waist. I audibly gasped. She was fully nude underneath it, which I was not expecting. But damn, I loved it! She was stunning. Her breasts were modest but not too small and her rosy nipples were already hard and puckered. I wanted to suckle one, so I did, causing her to moan and move beneath me. "Jasper," she sighed. I paid the same attention to the second nipple as I had the first, swirling my tongue around it and biting down lightly, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she tugged on my hair. I continued a path of kisses down her breasts, kissing them just underneath the swell, and down her flat stomach until I reached her hipbones. I knew my breath was unsteady, and so was hers, as I got closer and closer to her center. I finally glanced down to her hot, wet sex, and was caught breathless. She was bare and beautiful, and waiting for me. I moaned. Bella blushed, and I watched it go from her cheeks, to her neck, to her chest. I smiled, and questioned her with my eyes: Shall I continue? She gave me a tiny nod, and I took that as a sign to keep going.

I slowly spread her legs, so they were on either side of my head. I looked at her greedily. I was hungry for her. She moaned, anticipating my next move. I took a deep breath, and licked a long line, from top to bottom, of her sweet center. She tasted better than I had ever imagined, and I groaned with pleasure. So did she, and bucked her hips up, begging for more. I granted her wish, and began attacking her clit with my tongue. Her hand had found its way back into my hair, and was now pulling it so hard I thought it would come out at the roots. Her thighs kept trying to lock around my head, to keep me there, but I wasn't having it. I lightly spread them again, this time delving into her hot core with my tongue. She nearly flew off the bed, shrieking, "Oh God, Jasper! Yes!" My ego now firmly stroked, I alternated my tongue between her center and her clit. She was panting and pulling my hair harder than before. "Almost! Almost!" I pressed down hard on her clit, and she came, convulsing around my tongue. I lapped up all her juices, prolonging her orgasm as long as possible. When her moans had subsided and her hips stopped their frantic rhythms, I moved up her body, leaving another trail of kisses upward on her heated skin. She was slightly salty now. I guess I'd given her a workout. I smirked.

"Oh God, Jasper, that was incredible!" she told me, grabbing me by my neck and pulling me in for a kiss. It took a moment, but I realized she was tasting herself on my lips and tongue, which turned me on even more than I had been before, which I had thought was an impossibility. We both moaned.

"Jasper, you are wearing entirely too many clothes," Bella stated, and promptly began stripping me. She was right. I even had my shoes on, and she was completely naked. I wanted to feel skin on skin contact. We both pulled off all my clothes, and she was the one to rid me of my boxer briefs. She moaned when she looked at my cock, which was fully erect and begging for her. She looked at me and bit her lip. "Baby, it's been a long time. And you're so… well, let's be honest, you're huge. It makes me a little nervous."

I felt a stab of jealousy knowing I wasn't the first, and a little piece of my heart broke. I knew it couldn't be possible that I would have been the first to know Bella was such an amazing girl, but it killed me to know I wouldn't be her first lover. I brushed my thoughts aside. I wouldn't be her first, but I would be the last… and the best.

"Don't worry, darlin'. I'll take good care of you. And by the way, you're more than welcome to compliment my penis any time you'd like."

She giggled, and pulled me in for a searing kiss. She felt amazing against me, and I don't think I'd ever get fully used to the feeling. It would feel like a miracle every time. I quickly grabbed a condom off the dresser, and she helped me roll it on. I hissed at the feeling of her hand on me. I had been hard for a long time now, and it was torture holding on. I would do this. I could do this for her.

I kissed her again as we positioned ourselves, my body stretched over hers. The tip of my cock brushed her center, and she moaned. I pushed inside her slowly, feeling her body stretch to let me fill her. We groaned simultaneously as I filled her to the hilt, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I held still for a minute, letting her get used to me, and also to give my body a minute to calm down. She was tight and hot, and I refused to let myself cum like a 16 year old boy. Eventually, she thrust her hips up, encouraging me to move, and we began moving in a rhythm as old as time, slowly at first, and getting faster and faster.

"Bella," I moaned, and she sighed my name back. I was falling apart, and she needed to cum first. I moved my hand to her clit, rubbing her as I increased the speed of my thrusts. She screamed out my name as she came, tightening around me. That was my undoing, and I quickly followed after her, shouting her name as she milked every drop from me. We drifted off to sleep together, still connected.

**BPOV**

When I woke up, I felt a heavy arm over me. Jasper was snuggled into me, spooning me from behind with his face buried in my neck. I could feel his cock brushing against my center. He was hard and I was ready for him again. Now, to wake him up…

I rolled over in his arms, so we were facing each other. I began placing butterfly kisses all over his face and chest, smoothing my hands over his skin. He was tanner than I, and I loved the feel of his muscles. They're weren't too big or gross like a weightlifter, thankfully, but toned enough to make me want to nibble on him. He began to stir as I continued my ministrations, and his eyes finally fluttered open. He gave me a sleepy smile.

"Have I died and gone to Heaven, or am I just the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet?"

"I guess you're just a lucky son of a bitch," I giggled. He caught me in a kiss, pulling me tightly to him. I could feel his erection brush against my stomach. "Jasper, I need you. _Now."_ He didn't need to be told twice. This time was not soft and gentle, but hard and fast, and I loved that we could be together both ways, with breathtaking results.

When we woke up again, this time it was light out, and a quick glance of my clock told me it was 6 am. I shook Jasper awake, knowing he had to get back to Port Angeles for work. I hated that he had to go. Next time, we'd have to make sure we could stay together all day afterwards… preferably in bed. We showered together, keeping our hands to ourselves as much as possible, since he couldn't be late to work, ate a quick breakfast, and kissed sweetly at the door.

"Can you come to Port Angeles tonight?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. To be with him, I'd drive a thousand miles, ten thousand miles, more. We shared one more deep kiss, and probably a thousand more tiny kisses, before he finally dragged himself away from me. He was wearing the same clothes as he had the night before, and it aroused me. Tonight couldn't come fast enough.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has made this story a favorite, or added it to their alert list, or in general just read and/or reviewed. It means so much to me that you guys enjoy this story. We're no where near the end, so stay with me!!! Thanks as always to my glorious beta, EmmaleeWrites05. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, nor am I Stephanie Meyers, and I never will be. And that's OK.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Nine

**BPOV**

The next morning was a Saturday and we both had the day off. I woke up to the light in my eyes and I had to take a moment to get my bearings. _I spent the night at Jasper's,_ I thought giddily. I had met him in town after work and we had immediately gone back to his place. His gramps had gone to Seattle for the weekend. Why I didn't know, but I also didn't care, so long as Jasper and I could be together. And be together we were. I was actually a little sore from how many times we went at it, but I could not be more happier than at that moment.

Jasper's arm was slung around my waist, loosely holding me to him. He looked so peaceful. His honey blond hair was a mess and I'm sure so was my own. _Sex hair. _My hands couldn't stay out of it when we were making love. He moaned a bit in his sleep and pulled me closer to him. I took that as my cue to snuggle deeper to him, entwining his legs between mine, winding my arms around him. He let out a contended sigh, and buried his face in my neck. _I love this man, _I thought. I fell back asleep like that, and it wasn't for another few hours that we both awoke. We made slow, passionate love, and collapsed into each other's arms again.

He brushed the hair from my eyes and we simply held eyes for a moment. I felt the electricity pass between us. It had not faded with time and instead had intensified. Love, lust, passion and tenderness passed between us at that moment. I stroked Jasper's cheek, and he leaned into my touch.

"Bella," he said softly. "I know this is probably too soon… but I can't hold back anymore. I love you."

I was speechless at a time when it's just not right to be. I stared back at him with a mix of shock and relief, or at least, I hoped that's what I looked like. He looked at me in fear. He thought I wasn't going to say it back. The man I loved had doubts about how I felt for him.

I smoothed my hand through his hair, looking deeply into his eyes. "Jasper, I love you so much it hurts." His worried face broke into the biggest smile I'd ever seen, and he whooped in joy. I giggled, and he silenced my laugh by dipping his head and meeting me with a kiss. Our tongues battled each other, fighting for dominance of the kiss. I let him win, and he swept his tongue into my mouth, making me moan. Our hands were wandering across each other's bodies, caressing and groping every inch. We came together, passionately, racing each other to orgasm. This wasn't going to take long, but that was more than alright. We needed each other, and now. We both shouted out in ecstasy, calling out the other's name, as we fell off the final edge together.

**JPOV**

She loves me! She loves me! She loves me! I felt triumphant. My girl loved me as I loved her. _And_, we had the Best. Sex. _Ever. _I was on cloud nine, and I didn't care if I ever came back down. Bella and I showered together, whispering our love to each other, but kept it chaste, for the most part. As chaste as it can be when you're washing your naked, wet girlfriend, that is.

We dressed and made it to the kitchen. Bella began making the eggs and waffles as I pulled out other various things from the fridge. She was singing softly, and I felt a surge of contentment. We were in a timeless moment, one I wanted to repeat over and over. I felt so… domestic. I imagined us making breakfast every morning, calling our kids down to eat… I shook the thought away, pleasant though it was. Definitely too soon to be thinking about kids. I went behind her, holding her to me, resting my chin on her shoulder.

"Baby… I love you." She hummed in pleasure. I began nibbling on her neck.

"I love you, too," she sighed, dropping the fork from her hands. I was distracting her from her task and I had never loved the idea of burnt breakfast until that moment. She tilted her head to give me better access to her throat. I took full advantage of the situation. Her hands now rested atop my arms, which were encircled around her waist, and she leaned back into me, sighing and gasping as I nipped and lapped at her skin.

"Jasper, we're really going to burn the breakfast if you keep at this, as much as I love it…"

"Let it burn," I growled. She bit her lip as she turned to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I cupped her ass, lifting her more fully to me, and she wrapped her legs around my waist, bringing our centers together. I lifted her on top the counter, and began assaulting her mouth with mine again. I was just about to pull off her shorts when I heard a curious bark behind me. I groaned, and pulled away.

"Jake, go away!" Bella burst into laughter. "What?" I asked, puzzled. Bella kept laughing, burying her face in her hands. I was beginning to think she was having some sort of emotional breakdown when she looked up at me, tears running down her face. She looked happy. I was seriously confused now.

"My… my ex…. used to call my friend Jacob a dog. They hated each other!" Her sentence was punctuated with peals of laughter. I raised my eyebrows at her, both amused, and curious about the mention of an ex. I didn't think I was quite ready to have that conversation with her just yet. I grinned at her, sharing her amusement, then pulled away to Jake the dog. He probably needed to go out and have food. In my little Bella-infused world, I had forgotten I had a pet. Oops.

"Let's get breakfast finished," she said, sliding off the counter. She adjusted her shirt, pulling it tight across her chest inadvertently. I groaned. She rolled her eyes at me. "Keep it in your pants, Jazz… for now." She winked at me. I loved her nickname for me.

"Darlin', you just make things so hard for me, you know that?"

"Yes, I do," she said sexily. "I'm very glad about it, too." She was going to be the death of me, I was sure of it. I was about to "distract" her again, when the phone rang. It was Gramps, calling to say that he was coming home that evening from his conference. He was a retired history professor and loved to go to various historian conferences around the country. This time, he was just in Seattle, so he wouldn't take long to get home.

I hung up and looked at Bella. She was setting our plates down. I walked to her, nuzzling her neck, and she giggled. "Eat!" she playfully ordered.

We sat down to breakfast, and finally brought up the million dollar question. "Hey, Bella.

My gramps is coming home tonight… would you like to meet him?"

She smiled. "Of course, Jasper! I'd like to meet this guy and give him a hug… Without his birthday, we never would have met." I grinned and we finished our breakfast in comfortable silence.

After we had cleaned up from breakfast, I gave her the grand tour of the house, since all I'd really gotten a chance to show her was the bedroom… not that either of us had really minded. I took her into the living room. This room, more than any other, made me nervous to show her.

She slowly walked around the room, taking a look at our giant bookcases, filled with history books, mainly on the Confederacy. "Wow, impressive," she said, trailing her fingers across the bindings, looking at each title. "You really weren't kidding when you said you and your grandfather liked Johnny Reb." I smiled nervously. She was about to find the…

"Whoa, you've got guns! And medals! And pictures!" Bella had reached the large glass case near the center wall. She was leaning against the glass, gazing at the objects inside. They were the pride and joy of Gramps and mine… well, mainly Gramps, since they were his, but he had always made me feel like they also belonged to me when I was a boy.

"Aww, look at you!" Bella exclaimed, grasping a photo of me when I was seven, dressed proudly in my first official uniform in grey, complete with a mini rifle. Several of my teeth were missing as I grinned widely. "Jasper, you were too cute!" She dropped a quick kiss on my mouth. She turned back to the rest of the photos, occasionally commenting, when she finally found what I'd been afraid she'd find.

"Wow, is this where your uniform is from?" she asked, lifting the oak frame up from the glass case. "What is this?"

"That would be my unit," I said quietly.

"Your unit?" She looked puzzled. "Wait, do you do reenactments?!" She sounded really excited, a reaction I wasn't expecting. I had expected… amusement? Skepticism? In any case, I was relieved.

"Yeah. I'm the youngest major in the organization."

"Really??!! You're a leader… Wow. That's really… well, honestly, that's sexy as hell." She pulled me to her by the collar of my shirt.

"You really think so?"

"Oh, hell yeah. I can just picture you in your uniform, commanding people around the battlefield… so strong, so intelligent…" She shivered in my arms. "Oh God, Jasper…" She kissed me passionately. I suddenly regretted holding back this piece of information until now. If this was how she was going to react… I returned her kisses with equal enthusiasm. Soon, she was pulling me to the couch, and I tumbled on top of her eagerly. We christened the couch, and redressed quickly afterwards, just in case Gramps came back early.

"Wow," I said. "I should have told you about it sooner," I joked.

"And guess what? This means I can come to you to research for my book. You already know so much. And I know you're already going to be great inspiration for other aspects of it…" She trailed her fingers up my chest. I groaned.

"Woman, you are going to kill me."

"I'm sorry! Well, actually, I'm not sorry at all. You're just so sexy."

"So are you, darlin'. I'm having issues keeping my hands to myself."

"Then don't," she whispered huskily, the sound of her voice going straight to my cock. I groaned, helpless to do anything but give in to the magnetic pull I often felt when I was around her. We were kissing, she straddling my waist, slowly rotating her hips against mine, when we heard the lock on the front door being opened. We quickly pulled apart, straightening our clothes and smoothing down our hair, before I leapt up to help Gramps at the door, willing my erection to go away the entire way.

"Gramps, welcome home!" I said brightly, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. Just like I knew he would, he noticed Bella right away.

"Who's this?" he asked with a look of surprise on his face. "Might you be Jasper's _friend _Bella?"

She blushed slightly, then held out her hand for him to shake it. "His_ girlfriend _Bella, actually." I felt a surge of pleasure and pride as she claimed our relationship, just as I had when she'd declared herself as my girlfriend in front of Emmett.

"Well now! That's more like it. Jasper's been a lovesick fool ever since he met you. I'm Peter, his grandfather, but please, call me Gramps," he said boisterously.

"Aww, honey, were you lovesick for me?" Bella asked sweetly, hugging me to her.

"'Fraid so," I said, grinning. Gramps looked at us approvingly, and then said,

"Help me with my bags, son. I'm an old man, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to chat up your girl for awhile."

"Yes, please tell me about Jasper when he was a kid."

"Ahh, yes, I do believe I have some naked pictures of him somewhere…. Although I'm sure you've already had an up-close view."

Bella flushed a deep red, and I felt my face split with a grin, while Gramps chuckled at our reactions.

"Just as I thought," he said, almost to himself. He led Bella to the couch, ignored the disarray of the cushions, and grabbed a photo album from one of the shelves nearby. They spent the rest of the afternoon sharing stories and laughing at naked baby photos of me. I joined them, cuddling Bella from behind, and felt her sink deeper and deeper into me as she relaxed. As we were fixing dinner later that evening, Bella and I kept stealing kisses when Gramps' back was turned.

"Peter… err… Gramps, I was wondering if you and Jasper would like to join my family in Forks for Thanksgiving next week," Bella queried during dinner. She was blushing, I could tell she was nervous asking.

"Of course!" said Gramps. He slapped me on the back. I looked at him in astonishment. He was never, and I repeat, never, this energetic. I'd have to question him about it later.

Gramps went to bed early, another sign to me that something was up. Gramps was a night owl, a lot like me. We spent a lot of evenings staying up and discussing my lessons for the next day at work. I didn't mind, though. I wanted more alone time with Bella.

"Can you spend the night again?" I whispered in her ear.

"I want to… but with your grandfather in the house…" She seemed worried.

"Don't worry," I said. "He'll take out his hearing aids to go to bed… and then we'll be golden." She moaned, and nodded her agreement to stay, kissing me deeply. I led her to my room, locking the door firmly behind us.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Wow, you guys hit the 100+ review mark last chapter. I can't believe it!!!! Thank you all so much for reading my story. It means so much to me. This is, after all, my first multi-chapter fic. I'm glad you like it. **

**So, I've had this chapter done for like 5 days, but I have this self-imposed rule where I have to have my next chapter in to my beta, the lovely EmmaleeWrites05, before I post the next chapter, and I've been having some minor writer's block. That explains the wait.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I'd love to own a stack of books so Jasper could do me against them. ;-)**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Ten

**BPOV**

When I finally got around to checking my cell on Monday morning, still wrapped in post-coital bliss, I found that I had missed 50 calls and texts from Rosalie. Damn. The woman was nothing if not persistent. I knew she was dying to know what had happened between Jasper and I.

It had been really hard to tear myself from Jasper this morning. We had spent all Sunday lounging around his house, in his bed going at it like bunnies, in the living room watching movies and talking with Gramps, who was gracious enough to pretend to not know what was going on. And in the kitchen making food to make up the energy we lost in the bedroom. In other words, it was the perfect day.

I called up Rosalie. She was squealing. "Oh God, Bella! I have a very good idea of where you've been, and just so you know, you aren't getting away with not telling me every single juicy detail. Tanya and I are going to meet you for drinks tonight, and there's no way you're getting out of it."

"Fine," I said, slightly exasperated, but kind of excited to finally be able to brag to my friends about my sexcapades… They were usually the ones letting me know way too much.

That night we met up at the local bar. I always hated it there, I'd much rather be somewhere quiet so we could talk in a normal volume instead of fighting with ESPN. Nevertheless, Rosalie and Tanya loved it there and I went along with it to humor them. We ordered our drinks and made it to a small booth in the back which was less crowded, being far from the pool tables and former high school jocks reminiscing about the old days.

Rosalie and Tanya had taken the seat across from me. Great, I was going to be interrogated by two blonde demons. I was already wary of their questions.

"So, Bella. Spill. You and Jasper. You being gone all weekend. The telltale 'freshly fucked' look on your face…. Your blush telling me I'm right…" Rosalie grinned triumphantly.

I glared at her, taking a deep sip from my drink as she and Tanya giggled excitedly.

"Bella! You have to tell us! You can't just sit there. We tell you!"

"Yes, my favorite part of any evening," I said sarcastically.

"Fine, if you're not going to tell, we're just going to assume the worst. That you spent the entire weekend clad in leather, chained to a wall while he beat you with a paddle until you begged for mercy and he fucked-"

"Argh, you guys, stop it!" I shouted, laughing despite myself. I went into the story of the weekend, starting with his cutely pathetic phone call, passing over the more sordid details and ending with meeting Gramps and Jasper and I confessing our feelings to each other. When I was through Rose and Tanya both looked like they wanted to burst into tears.

"That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard," Tanya whispered.

"Yeah," Rose gave. "Oh my God, Bella, I had no idea you were in love with him. I'm so happy for you!" She ran around the booth to give me a hug, Tanya moving to join us. We spent the rest of the evening swapping stories and catching up. I had to admit, that with Jasper, work and writing my novel, I hadn't found much time for my best friends and I had missed them desperately.

The next afternoon, I was in the bookshop, re-reading _Pride & Prejudice, _when I heard the tell-tale clang of the bells on the door. There was _my man, _Jasper standing in the doorway, looking sexy as hell in his jeans and white button up shirt. We locked eyes and both smiled. The only thing I wanted to do was run to be in his arms but there were other customers. _Damn them all, _I thought.

"Hi darlin'," he said, leaning over the counter to kiss me lightly. It took all my strength to not reach across the counter and pull him to me more fully. I wanted to be flush against his sexy body, kissing every inch of his body I could reach. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks.

"Whatcha thinkin', love?" Jasper asked, his eyes twinkling with knowledge and amusement.

"Things I really shouldn't while here at work," I replied. A woman came to the counter to buy a book and I had to force my brain to remember how to use the computer. When the transaction was finished, I turned to Jasper again, but he was gone. My brow furrowed, until I caught a glance of him between the stacks, back in the history section. I smiled to myself.

The rest of the work day went by quickly, luckily. We were fairly busy, which kept my mind mostly occupied from the Sex God sitting in the leather chair in the corner, reading some Civil War book.

"Do you ever read any other kind of book?" I teased, as I was locking up for the evening, flipping over the Open sign to Closed. Jasper put the book down, joining me at the door.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Shocking, I know." He nibbled my ear. I moaned throatily, and then pulled away quickly. Jasper frowned.

"Jasper, if you keep that up, I'll never get locked up and we will never get back to my place." I blessed the fact that Renee and Phil had gone to Florida to visit his family for a week.

"Fine," he said, slightly pouting. He was cute. He reminded me of a kid who just had his new toy taken away. Suddenly, a brilliant and lusty plan hatched in my head. I finished my closing duties and shut off all the lights. Jasper grabbed his coat, clearly ready to leave and get me into bed. _Not so fast, _I thought wickedly.

"Jazz, I just thought of a new book that we just got in that I think you'll be very interested in."

"I can think of something else that I'm much more interested in studying," he said cockily.

"No, trust me; I think you'll like this. It's right over here. Here, help me, hold the ladder."

I climbed up the ladder a few steps, so that my ass was right at his eye level. I heard him groan and I pushed my ass out a bit, teasing him. One of his hands moved up to knead my flesh, and I slapped his hand away. "Hold the ladder," I ordered.

"Bella…" he whimpered.

"Come on, Jasper, I really think you'll like this," I said, pretending to reach for a book.

"I don't give a damn about the book," he growled and a shiver ran up my spine. He lifted me easily off the ladder and I was instantly pressed against the book stack, while Jasper attacked my mouth. I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to me. He hoisted me against the wall of books, so that our hips were aligned, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, slowly rotating my hips against him. He was already hard.

"God, Bella, do you have any idea what you do to me?!"

I slowly rotated my hips against his, teasingly. "Probably the same thing you do to me, cowboy." He groaned, and buried his face in my neck.

"I need you," he said, already tugging on the waistband of my skirt. Thank God Rosalie made me buy the thing and thank God I was too lazy to do laundry…

I helped him pull my skirt up towards my waist and then we struggled with his jeans. His cock sprung free, and he wasted no time pushing my panties aside, teasing me. "Fuck, Bella, you're so wet."

I moaned. "Now, Jasper!" He guided himself inside me, thrusting swiftly. We both groaned as he filled me over and over. Our lips crushed together as our hips pumped together. He tore his mouth away from mine, turning to suck on my neck. I knew he'd leave a mark, and I loved it. I was his.

"Jasper, harder, _faster._" I couldn't get enough of him. We were both gasping, grunting, both so close. He reached between us, pinching my clit, and I came hard, practically seeing stars. I felt him still inside me, filling me with warmth.

He held me against the books, slumping his body against mine, both of us catching our breaths. I peppered kisses over his face as he let me slide down to the floor. My legs weren't steady, and he had to catch me. We kissed passionately, yet softly.

"I love you, Jasper. Fuck! That was amazing."

"I love it when you say 'fuck', my Bella. I love you so much. Thank you. I've been thinking about doing that with you since the moment I locked eyes on you."

"Ditto," I grinned. We adjusted our clothes and hurried to get back to my place. I still had plans for Jasper. We'd sleep well tonight… eventually.

**JPOV**

I couldn't get Bella back to her house fast enough. We barely made it through the door before I pressed her up against it and we had our way with each other right there. Every time we were together, it was better and better, though I could scarcely believe how. I was going to die from pleasure with this woman and I couldn't think of a better way to go. I loved her more as every second ticked by.

We continued the pattern of meeting at her place or mine, parting in the morning. I hated leaving her and I could tell she felt the same. Why on earth did I have to live in Port Angeles, her in Forks? I don't know how much longer I could do this, the waiting to see whose house we could sneak into, leaving each other in the morning. I needed her with me, but I couldn't ask her to move in with me, could I? We had said "I love you" early, but I didn't want to rush her into moving in with me… with Gramps? God, this was messed up. What 25 year old still lives with his grandfather? We had lived together since I was 12, and after college, I had moved back home, found work… and saw no reason to live on my own. Now, I seriously questioned my choices. I needed Bella.

I was drinking a beer when Gramps came into the kitchen. Bella was working on her book and I was creating a test for tomorrow, so we were taking the night away from each other, though reluctantly. I'd be calling her later… perhaps convince her of a little phone sex. I'd never tried it, but when it came to Bella, I was willing to do anything, everything.

Gramps looked… happy. Happier than I'd seen him in a very long time - perhaps ever.

"What's with you, Gramps?"

He smiled and poured himself a beer. "Nothing, everything's great."

"Which is why I'm asking. You're… happier, Gramps. It's not a bad thing; I just want to know why."

"Well, Jasper… I've met someone."

I choked on my beer. "What was that?"

"I've met someone. You're not the only one in love."

I stared at him. _What the hell… _He looked back at me, almost defiantly, challenging me to question him. "What?! When did this happen?"

"At the conference. She and I… well, it's not an instant thing. I've known her for years, just as friends, but now…" His eyes got a nearly dreamy look and I didn't know whether to puke or hug him. I decided the latter.

"What's her name? Do I know her?"

"Charlotte. Charlotte LeVasseur." No, I didn't know her. "She's also a retired history professor. We've been friends for years, through these conferences. She's the only reason

I go half the time. I'm thinking of marrying her."

Again, I nearly died choking on my beer. Gramps slapped me across the back, looking amused. "Don't die; I'll need you to be my best man."

I looked warily at him. It was amazing, to see the light in his eyes like I did now. But marriage? At his age? Gram had died years ago but it was hard to think of Gramps with anyone else.

"This'll take me awhile to get used to," I said slowly.

"Well, you won't have much longer to think about it, son. She's moving in here and I'm afraid I'm going to have to kick you out." My eyes bugged out of my head. He laughed.

"You _are _twenty-five, son. Besides, you've got your own girl."

I rubbed my eyes wearily. My head was swimming with a million thoughts. _Gramps… marriage… Charlotte… moving out… Bella… _It seemed we were going to be having that conversation a lot sooner than I expected.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: And, I give you Thanksgiving!!! :-D I know I'M grateful for all my amazing readers and reviewers. You guys rock!!! Also thanks to my glorious beta, EmmaleeWrites05, and to BlackHawk13 for being so encouraging despite not knowing a thing about Twilight except that they sparkle. :-)**

**Disclaimer: In the space of 2 days I did not become Stephanie Meyers. That is all.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter 11

**BPOV**

I was nervous to have Jasper over today. Renee and Phil had gotten back home yesterday and Renee had instantly noticed a "change" in me. We hadn't had a direct conversation about it, but I could tell she was just waiting for the perfect moment to find me alone so she could pounce. Luckily, today would not be the day. It was Thanksgiving and the house was already full with family. Uncle Carlisle, Aunt Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Charlie, Renee and Phil were all here. Stereotypically, the women were in the kitchen and the men were in the living room watching football. It was noon and we were expecting Jasper and Gramps at any time. Renee's radar had gone off the moment I had mentioned Jasper and Gramps were coming. I almost wished we'd talked before, so I could soothe her curiosity to keep her off my back all day.

I heard a knock at the door and had a slight panic attack. I smoothed the edges of my red sweater, checking my hair in the reflection of the toaster. "You look fine, sweetie," Rosalie assured me. I smiled my thanks to her and raced to the door before anyone else had the chance to get the door.

With a gust of wind and a wall of rain, Jasper and Gramps came stumbling into the foyer. Jasper was gripped two bottles of wine, while Gramps was holding a casserole dish covered with tin foil. "Ack, come in, come in! Get yourself dry!" I exclaimed, grabbing the things from their hands so they could peel off their soaked jackets. Jasper dropped a kiss on my lips as he took the wine back from me and I only wished Gramps were out of the room so we could deepen it. I licked my lips after we parted and he grinned. I nearly melted.

"Welcome, welcome!" said Renee, sweeping me aside and pulling Jasper into a hug. She shot me an approving look. "Now, you must be Jasper, and I suppose you're his grandfather. I'm her mother, Renee."

"Nice to meet you, Renee," said Gramps, shaking her hand enthusiastically. "I'm Peter Whitlock, but please, call me Gramps. You look young enough to be Bella's sister!"

Renee blushed. Jasper leaned into me. "I can see where you get that fantastic shade of red," he whispered and I know I flushed in response.

Renee ushered us into the living room, where Jasper and Gramps met all the guys. Charlie, Phil and Uncle Carlisle gave Jasper an especially thorough look-over, and I could tell Jasper was slightly nervous, but he held his own well. Emmett greeted him as though they were best friends, which relaxed Jasper instantly. His arm, which was wound around my waist, loosened its grip on me as he felt more and more comfortable making small talk with the other men in my life. _Thank God, _I thought to myself. Gramps joined the guys watching football, while I led Jasper to the kitchen to meet Aunt Esme.

She and Rosalie were practically bouncing when we got to the kitchen. "Jasper, it's _so _good to see you again!" Rose practically purred. Aunt Esme held out her hand to shake his, but Jasper very suavely kissed the back of her hand instead. Aunt Esme turned nine shades of red, giggling softly.

"Well, it's absolutely _lovely _to meet you, Jasper." I rolled my eyes, but then again, I couldn't exactly blame them.

Jasper offered his help in the kitchen, but Renee and Aunt Esme weren't having it. They shooed him into the living room with the men. I had occupied myself with chopping potatoes to boil and mash later and therefore didn't see the inquisition before it was too late. I felt a presence behind me, and turned to see Rosalie, Renee and Aunt Esme with wicked looks on their faces, cornering me. I audibly gulped.

"So, Bella," Renee said, a Cheshire grin on her face. "What happened while Phil and I were away? That man is not just your friend. I saw the way you looked at each other. Are you… lovers?"

"MOM!" I shouted at the same time as Rosalie said, "Yes." I wanted to murder her, but all three women squealed as if it were the most exciting thing since chocolate covered pretzels. Which, to be honest, it was, but I didn't want them to talk about it… not when he was in the next room.

They continued to badger me with endless questions, which I mainly refused to answer. Rosalie was more than willing to supply them with answers in my stead. Yes, Jasper had more stamina than a racehorse, and was endowed like said racehorse, but that was for me to know and them to ponder.

While I was making cranberry sauce an hour later, I felt a pair of strong arms wind around my waist, pulling me slightly backward. I smiled as Jasper held me against his chest, nuzzling my neck. "Looks delicious, my love…. Just like you." I twisted to give him a brief kiss.

"Aww, young love," Emmett boomed, causing everyone to look at us. They all had approving smiles on their faces but I swore I was going to mass murder my family before this day had ended. I really hated attention put upon me, and they were finding every opportunity to embarrass me.

Jasper distracted me from my potential wrath, giving me a reassuring but fairly chaste kiss. He gave me a sexy grin, his blond hair falling into his eyes, before heading back into the living room along with Emmett, who had grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard.

I fought with myself to not drag Jasper to my bedroom.

Nearly another hour, and fifty various fantasies about how I'd pull Jasper away from the rest of the family and what we'd do later, we were all sitting down to an early dinner. The table was piled high with food, though, with Emmett around, who knew how much would be left for the rest of us. The man was an eating machine.

Renee mainly focused on Jasper and Gramps, bombarding them with questions so frequently it was nearly a miracle anyone got to eat anything. Jasper took it all in stride, answering all her questions, and apparently all to her liking. Renee, Aunt Esme and Rosalie were all practically vibrating in their seats by the end of the meal. I fought at every moment not to roll my eyes at them. It's like they had never met a man before. Then again, I hadn't brought a guy home with me since Edward and they hadn't exactly approved of him.

I forced myself to listen to the conversation.

"…Yes, I've met the most wonderful woman in the world," Gramps was saying. Suddenly, I was curious. "I've known her for nearly ten years, but we were just friends, obviously. Now… well, I'm going to ask her to be my wife."

"Oh, how wonderful," the women cooed, me included, despite myself.

"Yes. Charlotte is a beautiful and intelligent woman. I can't wait to kick this kid out of the house and move her in with me."

"Oh, Jasper, where will you go? Have you found a place yet?" Renee inquired.

Gramps answered for him. "Why, he'll live with Bella!"

My face went white, my eyes darting immediately to Jasper. He looked as shocked as I.

The table fell silent.

**JPOV**

Oh shit. This was not going well. It _had _been until Gramps opened his mouth… Charlie, Phil, Carlisle and Emmett were all glaring at me now. Overprotective men, most of them bigger than me… fuck. I had to rectify the situation… _now._

"Uh, Gramps, that's not something she and I have actually discussed…."

"Nonsense! It's high time you both moved out of your family's houses, and besides, you may as well. You're a good match. Bella's been staying with us… err, with you… for the last few days, and I heard nary a complaint from either of you!"

Bella turned scarlet. I could tell this wasn't information she wanted shared over Thanksgiving dinner, in front of her entire family, and neither did I. I was afraid to meet anyone's gazes.

"Actually… I think it's a good idea," Renee said suddenly. "They're not teenagers, for heaven's sakes, and though they haven't been in a relationship that long, it's high time they moved out. They may as well live together."

I was stunned. So was Bella. She looked at me with wide eyes, full of questions.

"Well, then it's settled!" said Gramps, turning back to his plate with gusto. I was in utter shock, I couldn't even begin to protest. Bella's mouth kept opening and shutting in intervals, looking much like an adorable fish. I shot her a look that said, _We'll talk later, _and she nodded slightly.

I knew this moment had to come soon, but I had no idea how soon. My head was spinning. Later, after we had cleared the table, and most of the family had moved into the living room to slip into their Thanksgiving food comas, I pulled Bella into the stairwell. She tugged my hand, pulling me to her bedroom.

I _had _intended on dragging her up to here to take her against her desk, but now my mind was as far from sex as possible. Mostly.

"So…" she started, twisting her hands together.

"So, what do you think?" I asked hopefully.

"Is it too soon?" she asked, more rhetorically than anything else.

"I don't know," I said, brain still spinning. "He just throws me this land mine, tells me he's going to kick me out so Charlotte can move in, and announces to your entire family that we're moving in together after we've only been dating for a month or so."

She laughed nervously. "Yeah, for a minute there I thought Emmett was going to bash in your face and I could tell Charlie was calculating how fast he could shoot you if he gave you a 5 second start."

She smiled as she saw my face pale. She brought her hand up to my cheek to soothe me. "Don't worry, I'm a big girl. They'll just have to deal with the fact that I want to wake up every day next to the man I love."

"So… you want to move in? You want to live with me?"

She looked as if I had asked the most obvious question in the world. "Of course, silly. It may be too soon, but it feels right. Doesn't it?"

"Yes," I assured her, kissing her fingertips. "It does. I want to wake up next to you each morning and I want to fall asleep in your arms every night. I hate living so far away from you."

"Well, you obviously can't leave Port Angeles. The commute to Forks is too far for waking up so early and it's hardly economical. Hmm…." She seemed lost in thought for a moment. "I can talk with Angela… I don't want to abandon her, but I mean, it's not like the bookshop is a full time thing… Maybe I can… yeah. I could."

I smirked. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, with the bookshop just being a part time gig, I can still commute for the days I do work, and work on my book here in Port Angeles. I can write anywhere."

"You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you, baby." I kissed her full on the mouth. She was sighing when I pulled back. "So we're going to do this? Really?"

"Really," she confirmed. "Let's start looking for a place tomorrow. One with a big kitchen, a cozy living room with big bookcases… sturdy ones… and a bathtub for two. And let's see about getting a nice, big bed. Preferably one we wouldn't mind staying in all night… and all day long."

I kissed her deeply, moaning softly into her mouth.

"Excellent plan, my love."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Anyone up for a little house hunting? :-) Thanks as always to everyone who reads and reviews, and to my wonderful beta, EmmaleeWrites05.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Stephanie Meyer. I'm pretty sure she'd have some sort of heart attack if she even read this. :-P**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twelve

**BPOV**

It was Black Friday and Jasper and I were on a mission… but not for flat screens or cashmere sweaters on sale. We were looking for a house. The place we'd call home… together. I still couldn't quite wrap my mind around the idea that we were going to be living together after dating for less than a month. But fate seemed to be sending us that way and I knew by now it wasn't smart to tempt fate.

Besides, I couldn't wait to share my life with him.

Jasper was driving us to Port Angeles. He glanced over at me, grinning. After deciding we were going to live together, we had made energetic love in my bed, then sprinted downstairs to tell everyone the great news (that we were moving in together, not that we had just had sex). Charlie didn't look too pleased, but ever since Edward, he's been slightly paranoid about me dating any guy. He'd come around eventually, I was sure, once he saw Jasper wasn't controlling or possessive, and that we were truly in love.

Jasper brought me out of my thoughts, entwining his fingers with mine, kissing the back of my hand while keeping his eyes on the road.

"I love you, have I told you that today?" he asked playfully.

"Why, no you haven't. You're more than welcome to," I teased.

"Isabella, I'm so in love with you. Desperately. Truly, madly, deeply!" he shouted

dramatically, jokingly. I laughed and played with the hair that curled at the base of his

neck.

"Oh, dahling," I said in a fake British accent, "I adore you. I worship you. I idolize you. I love you, too!"

We both laughed like morons.

When we got to Port Angeles, it was raining, of course. Luckily, we had already looked through the newspaper for places for rent and since Jasper knew the town like the back of his hand, he already knew where to go.

The first ten houses we looked into were all wrong. Too small, too dark, too damp. Too far from the school, no place to park, messy neighbors, moldy ceilings. One was next to the cemetery. Neither of us were superstitious but there are just some views you don't want to wake up to each morning. One had a dog next door that didn't stop barking the whole time we were there. One was near the docks but smelled like fish.

We were exhausted by the end of the afternoon. We slunk into a coffee shop to recoup. Jasper was glancing over the papers again, making sure there wasn't anything we were missing. I was holding onto my coffee for dear life, as if it were my essential lifeline. At the moment, it was.

"Jasper, what if we don't find anything?"

He kept his eyes on the paper. He looked distracted as he said, "We will. There's one more I'd like to look at before we give up today."

I sighed. My hair was slightly damp from the rain, and my feet were killing me. I would have loved to have kicked off my shoes and play footsie with Jasper, but I was discovering that once he had a task, he was dedicated to seeing it through. I found it very sexy, especially when he was concentrating on _me _in the bedroom, though I was also sure it was a habit that could potentially annoy or frustrate. _Good to know before we move in together, _I thought.

I tried another tactic. "Where will we sleep tonight? Your place or mine?" I asked in a tone that I hoped came across as silky and sexy, trying to distract him. "If we stay at your place… well, I didn't bring a nightgown…"

His eyes snapped up from the paper onto my face, looking at me hungrily. "I doubt you'll need a nightgown, darlin'," he said softly. I leaned forward, careful not to spill our drinks, and met my lips with his. We had to hold back, because we were in public, but the kiss held promise of more. I licked my lips, capturing all his flavor. He caught my eye, and we wordlessly got up from the table, clearing the cups and newspaper. We walked to his car, and unlocked it, getting in silently.

The moment our car doors were closed and locked, we were on each other. Moaning and gasping, our mouths met and mated, our tongues fighting against each other for dominance. Hands were flying everywhere, his tangled in my hair, mine in his shirt, tugging it upwards out of his pants. He moved to help me remove his shirt, then went to work on mine. We broke apart, as I slipped into the backseat, crooking my finger at him. It took him slightly longer than I to climb over the seats, but he was eager and managed despite his long legs. We settled into the backseat, he on top of me, kissing me deeply once more. I loved kissing him. I could kiss him forever and I still wouldn't want to stop.

His hands wandered to the waistband of my pants, undoing the button and zipper with ease, pulling my pants down and away from me. I struggled with his belt, then undid the rest of his jeans, and he kicked them off, which was not an easy feat in the small space. We continued kissing, our breaths coming out in pants, which I could tell was fogging up the windows. One hand print away and we'd be recreating Titanic.

Jasper pulled my bra down, freeing my right breast and began sucking and nibbling on my nipple. I moaned, writhing beneath him. We only had thin layers between us, his boxers and my lacy panties. I moved against him, craving friction. He was already rock hard and I knew I was soaking wet, ready for him. His hand snaked underneath my panties, feeling my slick folds. I whimpered as he pulled his lips from my breast and buried his face in my neck.

"Bella, I need you now."

"Baby, NOW! Oh, Goddamn it, Jasper, fuck me," I panted. He didn't have to asked twice.

He freed himself from his boxer briefs, and shoved my panties to the side, thrusting deeply into me. We sighed. The perfect fit. He stayed still inside me for a moment, until I couldn't wait anymore, thrusting my hips against his, encouraging him to move. He kissed me as our hips moved together, rushing towards the final goal. My heart was racing, and the electricity that always flowed between us was crackling, electrocuting. I needed him. Every time, the need and want grew stronger.

Jasper grabbed my thighs and pulled one leg over his shoulder. The new angle allowed him to fill me more deeply and it felt incredible. My eyes were starting to roll into the back of my head as he switched angles yet again and began hitting my sweet spot over and over. My hands went out to clutch his back, digging my nails into his back. He moved faster, as if the pain were spurring him on. His sounds matched mine; pure animalistic pleasure.

"Jasper, oh God, Jasper…. Fuck, baby, I'm so close!" I gasped.

"Good… so good…." he grunted in response, his hips moving double time. I was beginning to see stars. He reached out to pinch my clit and I came hard, screaming his name. He grunted, giving a few more hard erratic thrusts, then stilled inside me, filling me to the brim.

We kissed once more, still desperate to feel our connection. What I feel for him is so intense, I don't know how to stop… nor do I want to. If it were possible, I want him, love him more than ever.

Luckily, or unluckily, I wasn't sure yet, Jasper had a better head on than me and he pulled away before we could get carried away again.

"Darlin', we should probably keep looking. I want to make love to you in our own bed, but first, we have to find a place for that bed."

I reluctantly unwound myself from him, kissing him once, then twice more. He was so adorable with his swollen red lips and mussed up hair from my hands. It made me want him again. God, I was an animal. He saw that I was getting riled up again and grinned.

"Good lord woman, you're going to wear me out! Don't worry, there's a lot more where that came from, but first let me rest!"

I grinned, kissing him once more, then pulling on my clothes while he did the same. We gave ourselves a few minutes to clear our heads and keep our hands to ourselves, before we pulled back onto the road to look at the last house on Jasper's list.

**JPOV**

_Jasper Whitlock. b. 1984, d. 2009. Cause of death: Incredible, mind blowing sex with Bella Swan. _

How had I suddenly become the luckiest man in the world? I don't know what I'd done in a previous life to deserve her but I was suddenly a believer in karma. Each kiss we shared was more of a miracle than the one previous, each time we made love we connected that much deeper. I wanted her. I needed her. I loved her. I couldn't live life without her.

She kept shooting me looks while I drove, biting her lip and tempting me. I fought with myself to not pull over and fuck her silly again.

We approached the last house on our list. It was down a quiet street, with lots of trees and driveways that were long enough to separate the houses from the road. Our eyes met, and her expression matched mine. Hopeful. 415, 417, 419... 421. We were there. At first glance, it was livable. Friendly. It was white, with wide, open windows and a black door.

I grasped Bella's hand and gave it a squeeze. The landlady greeted us and pulled us out of the rain through the front door. She gave us the grand tour, which wasn't long, being that the house was kind of small, but I liked what I saw. Wood floors, a bright but small kitchen painted apple green, an open living room with a small fireplace and a big master bedroom upstairs, with a bathtub big enough for two. There was even a small fenced backyard with a view of the forest behind.

I looked at Bella. Her eyes were shining. I could tell, this was it for us. Our home. We weren't buying, obviously, but this would be ours.

"We'll take it," I said.

The landlady looked at me, surprised. "Are you sure? Perhaps you'd like to have a moment to discuss…?"

Bella and I locked eyes again and she was smiling. "No, I think we're good. This is it."

"Well then…" She still sounded slightly apprehensive. "I have these papers for you to sign, and these agreements…"

We looked through everything, signing the proper documents, agreeing to the cost of rent. Very reasonable for what it is. I was reeling that it was all happening so fast. I was giddy, and so was Bella.

"When can we move in?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Next Friday?" The landlady fairly asked. "Yes, Friday. We need to repaint the kitchen and do the floors."

"Oh, don't paint the kitchen!" said Bella. "It's so bright and cheery."

"Are you sure it's not too _green?" _

Bella laughed. "That used to be the case for me but I've grown used to it. I kind of like it."

"Well then, we'll see how soon we can get the floors cleaned and waxed, and we'll be getting back to you soon. Shouldn't take more than a week for everything and you'll be able to move in." The landlady finally smiled. "I've got to get something from my house… I'm your next-door neighbor… and I'll be right back. I'll let you guys get more acquainted with your new place."

We thanked her. I took Bella's hand and we explored the house once more. I could just see us now, making meals together, having friends over, or just for the two of us. Falling asleep together in the living room on a soft couch, or making out in front of a movie like teenagers. Squabbling over who got the bathroom first in the morning and making up later.

When we got the bedroom, I pulled her to me. She squeaked in surprise. I kissed her, winding my arms around her, tangling my hands into her gorgeous locks. So soft, so silky. She eagerly opened her lips, allowing me access, which I took gratefully.

"This," I said between kisses, "is going to be our bedroom. _Ours. _We can come home to each other each day, and make love, and fall in love even more each day… and have makeup sex after we have fights…"

She whimpered, and pulled me closer to her. "I can't wait," she breathed.

I went to kiss her again but I heard the door open downstairs, knowing the landlady was back.

Bella brushed her hand through her hair, attempting to smooth it from where my hands had been. She looked so cute and flustered. The fading light from the window made her look even more beautiful at that moment. I had never been more excited about anything in my life. I had my girl, and now we had our own place. I was growing up. Finally.

_There's no place like home, _I thought to myself. God, I'm turning into such a cornball.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: OK, just as an FYI, I was in a hugely sappy mood when I wrote this chapter. Therefore, I give you a chapter of pure fluff. BUT, there is a storm a-comin'. Not like a hurricane or tornado or any natural disaster type storm, but enough of a storm to get everyone a bit damp. So.... yeah. Just a head's up! And bear with me. There is a method to my madness. Thanks as always to EmmaleeWrites05, my lovely beta.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, not now, not ever. Oh, well. **

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Thirteen

**JPOV**

The next week and a half went by slowly. I was packed and nearly crawling out of my skin to move in with Bella. With packing and the instantaneous change of town for Bella, she was busy, we hadn't had much time together, though we had a lot of phone calls… and phone sex.

Bella had been shy and nervous when we first met but she hadn't taken long to open up and boy was I glad she had. My girl was a little sex kitten. She could make my heart stop. I couldn't wait to worship her every day in our own bed. My heart and my body ached for her. Spending days apart did not bode well for me. Though, I had to admit that I was glad we were able to actually talk. Whenever I got around her my head tended to get muddled, clouded with her strawberry scent that went straight to my dick. Over the phone, I could get to know her without the distraction of fantasizing running my hands over her smooth skin, or kissing her, or being inside her.

Gramps was more than cheerful that I was leaving. One evening, he brought Charlotte home for dinner. She was a tiny wisp of a woman, with silver hair and cheerful brown eyes. She had a friendly smile and talked a mile a minute. I liked her immediately. I knew she and Gramps were perfect for each other and they'd make each other very happy. I also wanted to kiss her feet and thank her for loving Gramps, for she was half the reason Bella and I were moving in together.

I had to admit, I was kind of sad to be moving away from Gramps. He had been my shelter, my rock, for so long that it seemed strange he wouldn't be there each day. Given, he was in the same town, and I was also 25 years old. Yet it seemed odd to be living in a place where he wasn't. We were best friends and shared everything. I would miss the old guy, though I'd still see him all the time.

Charlotte was already making plans to move in and what they'd do with my old room. Thinking about it made me smile. They were like empty nesters, instead of honeymooners, though they haven't set a date yet.

The next day, a Saturday, I got an excited phone call from Bella. "We can move in today!" she squealed.

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "Excited are you?"

"Of course I am! We get to christen that giant bed tonight."

I groaned. "Please tell me we can go now. I need you, baby."

"You might have to wait… Renee and Rosalie want to help us."

I cursed under my breath. She chuckled. "Sweetheart, it will only be a few hours, and then I'll be all yours…" she promised.

"I love you, darlin'. I'll see you soon. Get that cute butt of yours home."

"Yes, Major," she giggled. "Home."

**BPOV**

After christening every room and nearly every surface of our new apartment over the next few days, Jasper and I settled in to making this house a home. By the time it was Jasper's Christmas break, we had nearly all the boxes unpacked. We even set up a tiny Christmas tree by the front window.

My head was still spinning at the turn of events. Single to moved in with the man of my dreams in less than two months. There were tiny, fleeting moments where I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into, if this was all too fast… But then Jasper made me remember how madly in love with him I am, and how deeply he loves me, and there were suddenly no more questions.

Jasper had maddening tendencies, of course. When he woke up before 9 am, which was most days, he was irritable and nearly silent. He always threw his towel on the floor, to say nothing about his clothes. He wasn't a slob, per se, but he wasn't exactly tidy, either. I had stayed in his house before, so it wasn't entirely a surprise, but it was one thing to ignore it on the way to tumbling into _his _bed than when I was stumbling on it on the way to _our_ bed.

Still, for the most part, he was a good roomie in that he nearly always remembered to put the toilet seat down, usually helped clean the kitchen, and when he came home to me… I got goosebumps just thinking about it. I only worked at the bookshop in Forks three days a week, so the rest of the time I was working on my book when he came home from work. I'd usually be at the door, waiting for him…

After we'd finish making love, Jasper and I would usually throw together dinner, and then talk. If he had to grade papers or work on lesson plans, I'd work on my book, my legs draped across his lap. I loved that when he graded he had reading glasses. He hadn't had them when he'd visited me at the bookshop those first few times. The first time I'd seen him in them, I jumped his bones. Glasses are _so _sexy, especially when his hair fell into his eyes. I was under constant risk of pouncing on him whenever he wore them.

I have no idea how I got so lucky, but I'm not going to question it, ever. We fit, he made me whole. I know I'd never feel anything like this for any other man in my life ever again. This was it.

It was Friday, the last day before school would close until after the New Year, and I was brimming with excitement. I would have Jasper all to myself for nearly three weeks. Perhaps I would hold him captive in our bedroom; tie him up and hole up in bedded bliss. Tempting… and I was pretty sure he wouldn't protest much. It was hard to keep our hands off each other.

The sky was just turning an inky blue when Jasper finally walked through the door. He was dripping wet, carrying several manila folders full of papers. He trekked in puddles of water and mud into the tiny foyer before slamming the door hard against the driving rain. I rushed to help him with the folders as he shrugged off his coat. He hung it up, grabbed the folders, tossing them carelessly towards the table, and watched as they landed on the ground with a loud smack. I moved to pick them up, but he grabbed my wrists, tugging me back to him.

"Leave them," he stated simply, and gathered me into his strong arms. His hands rubbed soothing circles along the small of my back, wandering underneath the waistband of my pants.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. His hands were _freezing. _He grinned wickedly at me, before he ran his hands underneath my blouse, flattening his hands against my back. I squirmed, laughing, trying to get away from him, but he was having none of it. While I was pushing against his chest to get away, he dipped his head to nip at my neck and earlobe.

"Jasper! Jasper, knock it off, get your freaking hands off me!" I shrieked.

"Aww, honey, you're so warm. And I'm so cold… I think you ought to help me out. I'll make it worth your while," he trailed off suggestively.

I groaned, but still squirmed against his hands, though they were warming up marginally. He continued to press tiny kisses across my face, smiling against my skin. I stopped squirming as I tilted my head towards his and he kissed the corners of my mouth. It was soft, sweet… and frustrating. He continued a lazy path over my face, leaving butterfly kisses everywhere. I found myself panting for breath, licking my lips in anticipation, burning for his kiss.

"Jasper," I growled. "Kiss me, dammit!"

"So impatient, my love?"

"Mmm, yes… Don't make me beg!"

"You know I'd never deny you, darlin'," he said, and promptly granted my request. My top lip was trapped between his, giving me his bottom lip to bite, suck on, and lavish attention on. I loved his bottom lip. I tilted my head, and we kissed firmly, deeply. Our tongues lazily found each other. The kiss was hazy, tender, and bone-melting. We weren't rushed or hurried. We had (nearly) all the time in the world.

It felt like hours, standing there in the entrance, his arms holding me firmly against him as my knees slowly gave out on me, as we slowly made love with our mouths. I was melting; Jasper was igniting fires within me. It was a slow burn, but each brush of our tongues and each breathy gasp added more and more to the flame. Minutes later, my knees totally gave out and I molded myself completely against Jasper. I could feel his hardness against my stomach. I was achy all over, and my panties were more than soaked.

Wordlessly, he broke apart his lips from mine, and scooped me up in his arms. I felt drunk; the world was fuzzy and the only thing I could focus on was him. His lips were red and swollen, his blue eyes dark with desire. He walked us up the stairs, towards our bedroom. Not wanting to lose contact, I attached my lips to his neck. He groaned softly as I worked on his neck, marking him.

We reached our bedroom, and he laid me down on the bed, following me, stretching his body against mine. Our mouths met again, continuing our lazy exploration of each other's mouths and bodies. His hands were free to explore my body now that we were lying together. His hands were rough against my skin, but it felt like heaven.

We slowly removed our clothes, kissing and caressing each other's bodies until we were slick with sweat and pulsing for each other. He slipped into me easily, and we moved together slowly. We moved towards release quietly, kissing and whispering promises. When I came, he came with me, and we fell asleep still connected.

**JPOV**

Bella was my soul mate. If you had asked me the day before, hell, the hour before meeting Bella, if I believed in soul mates, or love at first sight, I would have laughed in your face. Thought you were the biggest fool in the world.

Now… She was my everything. Yes, she hogged all the covers, had really bizarre rules about when I could join her in the shower ("Give me ten minutes, then you can come in, but not if you have to go to work in less than an hour"), and sure, she loved to sing power ballads while listening to her iPod when we worked together, but those were small things to overlook. I could live with that. I couldn't live without her. Living together just proves to me that this was not just an amazing sex life and compatibility. It was teamwork, friendship, and pure need. I needed her, and not just sexually. Though, there were no complaints in that department.

Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. It was the night Gramps and I always exchanged gifts. This year, we wouldn't be alone. Charlotte and Bella would join us. I couldn't wait. I had several gifts for Bella, some of which were not for public eyes. We would exchange our personal gifts to each other Christmas Eve after we went home. I couldn't wait to give Bella my gift.

The next day, we'd be spending Christmas with her family in Forks, though the evening was reserved for just the two of us. Our first Christmas together. I was becoming such a sap. If I weren't so damn happy, I'd make myself sick.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I've been dying to post this since I wrote it, so you're getting it a bit earlier than expected. Christmas is here... who's coming for a visit?? ;-)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Jasper, but I would like to drag him under the mistletoe. :-D**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Fourteen

**BPOV**

I woke up Christmas Eve morning and immediately felt strange. It was too bright. I moved to unwind myself from Jasper's grasp. He was a very touchy-feely sleeper, always holding me, not that I was complaining. I quickly pulled back the covers and was hit with a wall of cold. I practically ran to the window, pulling aside the curtains, to confirm my suspicions. _Fuck. _Just as I thought. Snow. It wasn't thick or driving. In fact, there was less than an inch on the ground and it was already dripping and melting. But still, it was there. I hated snow still, no matter how much I had gotten used to Pacific Northwest weather. I was only glad it was rare and never stuck around long.

Jasper was stirring, no doubt thanks to my movement and letting sunlight wash into the room. I buried myself back in the covers, wrapping myself around Jasper's muscular body.

"Mmm, what's going on?" Jasper asked sleepily. His voice was thick with exhaustion. We had kept each other up late last night. He squeezed me tightly, pulling my body on top of his. I nuzzled his neck, taking the time to suck on his earlobe, nibbling it lightly.

"It snowed," I whispered in his ear and I felt him shudder beneath me. He rose up his hips to grind his morning wood against me.

"I hate snow," he growled. I giggled. My man was a slave to heat. I myself had gotten used to the cold but there were times where I missed Phoenix.

"Yes… but if it were hot here, we wouldn't be able to hold each other like this… You'd be sweaty and gross and I wouldn't let you within five feet of me!" I teased.

"Oh, is that right?" Jasper asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes. As is, your breath leaves a lot to be desired, Whitlock." I giggled, pretending to lean away from him. His arms just tightened around me, making escape possible… not that I really wanted to escape.

"Reach into the drawer, hun," Jasper said. I looked at him inquisitively, raising one eyebrow. Fumbling through the drawer, I found a box of mints.

I laughed heartily. "A-ha! Problem solved, you clever man!" I popped one in my mouth and slipped one between his glorious lips.

"Give it a minute…" I teased as he went to kiss me. "Almost… almost… almost…" I said, teasing him. "There we are!"

Without a word, he cupped the back of my neck and pulled my lips to his. My lips melted against his. All teasing was gone. I wrapped myself around him and I was lost in Jasper.

**JPOV**

We arrived at Gramps and Charlotte's house, a strange thought, late in the afternoon. The snow had almost entirely melted by mid-afternoon, but I'd still managed to start a slush fight with Bella on the way to the car. Our hair was dripping when we got to the front door. It was so bizarre to knock on the door of the house that used to be home. I heard Jake bark behind the door. I missed the mutt.

Gramps answered, a bright smile on his face. "Bella! Jasper! You look awful! Get in here." He hugged Bella and warmly shook my hand before throwing an arm around me, hugging me quickly. A man's hug. I grinned.

Charlotte was busying herself in the kitchen. She had a streak of flour on her forehead, and the apron she wore was streaked with varying ingredients. She too had a bright smile on her face. "Jasper! Bella! I'd hug you, only I'm wearing more food than I'm making."

"I'm afraid Charlotte's no genius in the kitchen," Gramps said, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek. She swatted him with a dish towel. Bella and I laughed.

"Would you like help, Charlotte?" Bella asked sweetly.

"Yes, please do!" Gramps said, earning him a swift smack on the back of his head from Charlotte. She shot daggers at him but then smiled again. I smirked to myself. They were so playful together. It almost reminded me of Bella and myself.

Gramps and I left the kitchen, since neither one of us would be much help. We were both fond of take out until I met Bella.

"So, Jasper, how's it going with Bella?" Gramps asked voice surprisingly soft. It almost sounded as if he wanted to talk…. Locker room talk. I burst into laughter.

"Want dirty details, eh Gramps?"

"That's not what I mean… entirely. You know Charlotte and I-"

"Ugh, Gramps, no! Keep it to yourself!" I shuddered in horror. There was no way I wanted ANY dirty details pertaining to my grandfather and his equally elderly girlfriend.

He roared with laughter. "I'm only teasing you, Jasper. So, are you guys driving each other crazy yet, or not?"

"Not," I said, still trying to fight off images of Gramps and Charlotte on this couch, where Bella and I had had our own fun. Instead, I fought to distract myself by looking at the changes Charlotte had made to the house. Not much was different, just a few candles and a red table runner, and some photos of whom I presumed to be her children and grandkids.

A beautifully decorated Christmas tree stood in the corner. Gramps and I had always had a tree, but it was always carelessly decorated and most of the time we forgot to water it. Bella and I also had a tree and it was almost as meticulously decorated as Gramps and Charlotte's. The bachelors were finally growing up or at least our girls were making us grow up.

"You look happy, Jasper," Gramps observed, breaking me from my train of thought.

"Yeah, I really am. Happier than you ever made me," I joked.

"That's how it's supposed to be," he assured me.

"You look just as ridiculous as me. You must be happy."

"Inexplicably, wonderfully. Except she wants me to move the Civil War stuff into your old room, out of the living room."

"What?!" I exclaimed. That was just wrong.

"Don't worry, I haven't given up just yet, but she's stubborn woman."

"And you're a stubborn man."

"You can bet on it!"

A short while later we were called into the kitchen. Charlotte had prepared the unusual Christmas Eve dinner of spaghetti and homemade meatballs, garlic bread, and a garden salad. It was delicious nevertheless. I was a sucker for a good Italian meal.

By the time it was dark outside, it was snowing lightly again. I groaned. I seriously loathe snow. Plus, it's a bitch to drive in. Thank God Bella and I had walked here, as we only lived a few streets down.

We all settled in the living room, Gramps and Charlotte on the couch, Bella in the armchair with me by her feet. I received an as-yet unpublished book on the Battle of Galveston, written by a friend of Charlotte's. I was extremely pleased. The only thing that kept me from tearing into the book like a maniac was seeing Bella's reaction to my small gift to her. More would come later.

I waited eagerly for her to open her gift. She tore the paper and instantly blushed a deep scarlet. She bit her lip and I couldn't tell if she was holding in laughter or lust.

"What is it?" Gramps asked. Bella handed him the small wooden frame, her blush still raging. Gramps burst into laughter when he saw the photo: Me standing on the reenactment field last summer, in my full Southern regalia, rifle and all. Charlotte also laughed and addressed Bella.

"The uniforms are nice, aren't they?" Her eyes were filled with amusement.

Bella blushed and merely nodded. I wasn't sure if she was going to murder me or jump my bones. I hoped for the latter, though not quite at this moment.

"Thank you," she said softly, her face still inexplicably on fire. She was too cute. I kissed her on her nose and she smiled sweetly at me. Her gift to me was a few books on the Confederacy, ones I didn't have in my collection.

After some mulled wine and good conversation, Bella and I said goodbye and good night to Gramps and Charlotte.

As we were hugging goodbye, Charlotte whispered in my ear, "She's a keeper, don't let her get away."

"I won't," I whispered back, grinning at her. "I'll be sure to tell Gramps the same about you."

She blushed slightly, hugging me again. "Good night you two!" Charlotte said, hugging Gramps to her side. They really were content and I couldn't be happier for them. I certainly knew the feeling.

We walked back to our house, the snow falling around us. Sadly, they weren't even the romantic fluffy flakes but fat wet ones that fell in splats and melted as soon as it hit the pavement. I held Bella's gloved hand in mine and we made it back to our place in record time. For one thing, I was freezing, and the other, I couldn't wait to give Bella her gift: Me. I had a feeling she'd enjoy it.

**BPOV**

I had considered dressing as Mrs. Claus, or perhaps a frisky elf, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do that. Something told me that even though Jasper might have enjoyed it, it wasn't his ultimate fantasy. I had also considered renting that Civil War costume again and letting him undress me the old fashioned way, but a corset was simply out of the question. I knew he loved seeing me in red. Since our first night together, the times he gave it to me the best was when I was dressed in something red and silky.

When we got home from Gramps and Charlotte's place, I quickly excused myself and ran into the bathroom. On a shopping trip with Rosalie and Tanya, I had found a matching set of a red silky bra with just a tiny white bow in the center, and panties with ties on the side. I thought it was sufficiently sexy without being gross about it. Rosalie had wanted me in a black lacy G-string and a bra that barely covered my tits. No thank you.

I covered myself with a black robe, which was also silky. I left my hair down, forgoing makeup or high heels. So not my scene.

I walked slowly into the bedroom, hoping to be seductive and alluring. I closed the bathroom door behind me, turned, and froze. Jasper was sitting in the center of the bed, in nothing but a pair of black cotton boxer briefs and a red bow tied around his neck. I burst into laughter. So much for the slow seduction and endless love making. Jasper had set the mood and it was going to be playful and fun.

"So, you're going to just laugh at your gift before you even get a chance to unwrap it?" Jasper said, pretending to be hurt. His voice was soft and husky, his Texan accent even more thick than usual.

"I'm sorry baby. I will give your gift a fair chance. I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy it."

"Well, I thought you might…" he said. He stood walking towards me slowly. I almost felt as though he were stalking me. The hunter and his prey. I decided if we were going to be animals about it, I definitely wouldn't be complaining later. His eyes were dark with lust and I took the time to admire his muscular body. My panties got marginally wetter.

"Now, I was going to give you a gift but it seems as though you also have something for me to unwrap," he said cheekily as he stood before me. His hands wandered to the knot of my robe, tugging it until it gave. He slowly parted my robe, and his breath hitched. His hands moved to cup my breasts, rubbing his thumbs softy over my nipples. I felt them harden under his touch. "Bella," he said softly. "So beautiful."

I moved my hands to untie the bow around his neck, and then ran them through his hair, pulling him close to me. His hands slid to my ass and squeezed lightly as our mouths met.

"Jasper," I moaned. "Give me my gift now."

"Yes, ma'am," he drawled and dragged me to the bed.

**JPOV**

I was exhausted the next morning. We hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Actually, ever since we moved in together we really didn't get a lot of sleep. Not that I minded or that I was complaining. Hardly!

Still, I knew I had to make a good impression on Bella's family again today. I was mainly concerned with Charlie. He was the chief of police until he got sick and I could tell he was a tough guy to please. I didn't exactly blame him for distrusting me. Bella and I had moved very quickly in our relationship. I just had to make him see that I wasn't just after Bella's body.

We left at 11 am, after all the slush had melted and Bella had finished making the pumpkin pies. They were still hot when we got to Forks.

We were greeted at the door by Renee, who was apparently full of Christmas cheer. I wasn't entirely sure it was only cheer that made her so excitable… I had a feeling she had been drinking eggnog or something before we got there, and sure enough, there was a punch bowl full in the kitchen.

"Mom, its only noon!" Bella scolded.

"It's Christmas, sweetie, a celebration! Relax! Besides, I'm not drunk!"

Bella merely rolled her eyes and moved to hug her family. Everyone from Thanksgiving was there and three extra. Charlie had apparently started dating a woman named Sue, and she and her kids, Leah and Seth, were joining us for dinner.

Everyone was in a great mood, which relaxed me instantly. I was glad the tensions of Thanksgiving hadn't drifted into today's celebration. Even Charlie was jovial and friendly, slapping me warmly on the back in greeting.

Instead of separating, men in the living room, women in the kitchen, everyone pitched in to make dinner. I was given the task of mashing potatoes. One wrong slam of the masher landed me with a face full of tiny flakes of potato. Bella burst into laughter, hunching over at the waist.

"Not funny, Bella," I teased her warningly. I held up the masher and pretended to flick it towards her. She held her hands up in surrender and wiped off my face. Then, she utterly shocked me by taking a long lick up my cheek to get the rest. Her entire family was in the room! But she merely giggled and said,

"Got it all."

I stared at her with amusement and astonishment as she simply turned back to making stuffing.

By the time dinner was ready, the damned snow was falling again. What was up with this weather?! I was really starting to hate it. If it was going to snow, why couldn't it be the cool kind, where you can actually throw a snowball or make a snowman or something?!

We sat down to dinner, which was enormously pleasant, not to mention delicious. Bella kept her left hand on my knee all throughout dinner. For a moment, I was afraid she was going to try something, but she merely rested it there, squeezing my knee every once in a while.

Emmett cleared his throat. "Um, guys, Rose and I sort of have an announcement to make."

Bella looked up, slightly startled. A look of realization and… shock? Horror? Happiness? crossed her face.

Rosalie merely held up her left hand to reveal an enormous engagement ring. The table erupted in shouts of congratulations and joy. Bella's eyes were misty as she moved to hug her cousin and best friend. Esme was in tears, which I could only assume were happy ones, and Carlisle shook his son's hand vigorously. "Finally!"

I shook Emmett's hand. I'd congratulate Rosalie later. The women had flocked to her, admiring her ring and asking how the proposal went. "Congratulations, Emmett."

"I assume you guys will be next?" Emmett asked, winking. Firstly, I was taken aback that he had just winked at me but then was blindsided by what he had just implied.

Obviously, I wanted to marry Bella. Just not yet. We barely had two months under our belt, and had only lived together a few weeks. We needed more time.

"Yeah… I guess," I managed.

Emmett slapped me on the back, hard. "It'll happen. No worries." He turned to talk with Phil and Charlie, and I just sat there. I could picture it now. Bella, in a clean white dress, waiting for her at the end of the aisle. Slipping a ring on her finger. Promising forever. Sealing the promise with a kiss. Keeping those vows forever.

I looked at Bella. Her eyes were shining, a permanent grin on her face. Yes, it would happen. I knew it.

**BPOV**

I only ever took the necklace Jasper gave me as my real Christmas present off when I went to bed or took a shower. It was beautiful, a tiny star pendant on a silver chain. It actually sort of looked like an old-fashioned compass rose. I loved it. When he had placed it around my neck, he had kissed the nape of my neck softly, instantly arousing me and giving me goose bumps all over.

We had simply crashed in exhaustion after getting home from Forks. It was genuinely one of the happiest Christmases I had ever experienced in my life and I knew it wasn't just because my favorite cousin and my best friend were finally getting married. It had almost everything to do with Jasper, who was currently wrapped around me tightly, spooning me from behind.

We spent the next afternoon quietly, watching a movie and simply holding each other on the couch. The snow still kept falling, and it still kept melting. Stupid white stuff.

Jasper and I were in the middle of a heavy make out session on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and each other, when there was a knock on the door. We pulled apart, staring at each other, making sure we really heard the sound. Someone knocked again, more urgently this time. Jasper stood, adjusting his shirt and smoothing down his hair. I wanted to pull him down to me again, ignore the other person behind the door. His mouth was swollen from our kisses and he had an erection that I saw him willing away. He was too cute.

He pulled the door open, and asked in a rather rude tone, "Can I help you?"

A silky, smooth voice answered. "Is Bella Swan here?"

I froze. My heart literally stopped beating. _Edward._

**A/N Part II: What could Edward want?! Hmm.... **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Oh, Edward, what the hell are you doing here?! We shall find out now...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, as usual.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Fifteen

**JPOV**

I looked between the face of the smooth, cocky looking bastard standing in the doorway and the pale face of my girlfriend, who looked like she'd just seen a ghost. Her mouth, still red and swollen from my kisses, was opening and closing silently, her doe eyes wide. I couldn't quite read her expression. This guy, whoever he was, stood nervously at the door, shifting from one foot to another. He looked like the kid who got his hand caught in the cookie jar… like he had been caught doing something he didn't count on being seen doing.

"Edward," Bella finally breathed. "What are you _doing _here?" Her tone wasn't friendly, which I found relieving for some reason. I didn't like the looks of this guy. I had a sick feeling that this was the ex.

"I… I need to talk with you." He looked at me with slightly pleading eyes. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was mussed, like he'd been running his hands through them. Honestly, he looked slightly crazed.

"Jasper," Bella said quietly. "Can I talk to Edward alone for a minute?"

I hesitated and she looked at me with steady eyes. She was silently asking me to trust her. I nodded briefly, glaring at Edward, and moved to the kitchen. I could feel the tension and I didn't like it. Something wasn't right.

**BPOV**

I was in shock. It had been years since I'd seen him. Our relationship hadn't ended on the best of terms, and last I heard, he was in Chicago with his girlfriend.

"Edward," I repeated myself. "What are you doing here?"

He moved towards the couch. I pointed to the armchair on the other side of the room and he sat obediently.

"I had to see you," he said. He looked like crap. I could see he hadn't had much sleep. His eyes were rimmed with red, and his hair was crazy, greasy, sticking in all directions. He had a general aura of distress around him.

"Why? What's happened?"

"I…" he sighed. "Fuck. I had to see you Bella! You… you always could calm me. You were always there for me, you always knew what to do."

I furrowed my brow. I found myself being a broken record. "What's happened, Edward? Why are you here?"

"Alice… she's kicked me out, Bella. She's making demands I can't meet. She wants marriage! Kids!" He stood up, pacing, running his hands through his bronze hair, rubbing his neck. "She said if I wasn't ready to move on in life with her, she couldn't be in my life anymore. That's it. Like we didn't matter anymore. Like the last two years didn't happen."

He looked distressed. Though I didn't know what to say, I wanted to gather him in his arms. He looked sad, like a little boy who just lost his puppy. I didn't say anything, just stood and held my arms out to him. He walked to me and accepted my embrace.

Edward felt… wrong. Yes, he was tall, yes, he was muscular, yes, it was a place I had once found refuge. But standing there in his arms, I wanted nothing more than to pull away. Seeing him just dredged up bad memories, as bad as I felt for him. He held on tightly, burying his face in my neck. We stood there for what felt like hours.

"Bella," he whispered, "I still love you."

I froze. My heart pounded in my chest but not in a good way. When I unfroze, I pushed away from him, my face filled with confusion and pain.

"What?!" I knew my voice was too loud, too brassy, too shrill. Jasper emerged from the kitchen, a look of pure hatred on his face. I wanted desperately to run into his arms. Edward's back was to Jasper, so he didn't hesitate in answering.

"Bella, I still love you. I never got over you. Alice knows it. That's why she wanted me to commit. But I can't do that knowing you still love me."

"That's just it, Edward. I DON'T love you anymore. I love Jasper and there's no changing that. What we had… it's all over."

"But Bella…" Edward started but Jasper cleared his throat. He looked murderous, eyes narrowed, his hands clenched into fists.

"Eddie, I think it's time you left."

Edward turned, looking between Jasper and I. I saw the tears in his blood-shot eyes, the frantic desperation I once saw on his face when I last told him we were over.

"You were mine," Edward said quietly. "We were Edward and Bella. You were…"

"I was never yours. You tried to own me but you don't own me now. You need to leave, Edward." Tears were starting to form in my eyes and my voice cracked with emotion. I hated that he could still dredge these feelings in me. Jasper strode to me, gathering me into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, willing the tears to go away, breathing in his scent. His arms wrapped around my waist, rubbing my back. I heard, rather than saw, Edward leave.

**JPOV**

Hearing another man declare his love to my Bella made me see red. All I wanted to do was pummel the ass into the ground. One minute, the douche was crying over his girlfriend kicking him out, the next he's wrapped around my girlfriend and telling her he still loves her. Pure rage had flashed in my chest, murder crossed my mind, and I was head to toe with jealousy. It was hard to breathe.

He slunk out of our home, looking defeated. I gave him what I hoped was a deadly look that told him to never cross my path again. I really wanted to pour salt in his wounds, but even with my obsession with war, I wasn't a violent guy, and Bella needed me more than I needed to kick his ass.

Bella looked stony. I was furious. This guy wasn't here 20 minutes and he had changed everything in those moments.

"Let's talk," she whispered. I pulled her to the couch, letting her curl against my chest, laying across me, legs entwined. I would be perfectly content if I weren't still boiling in anger, if my girl wasn't filled with turmoil.

She sighed deeply, resting her chin against my chest, gazing at me. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too. Forever." She smiled but it never quite reached her eyes. She kissed my chest through my T-shirt then nuzzled my neck.

"I hate that this happened. I hate that he showed up. I hate that he can still make me feel this way." My heart hurt for her. She took a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

"I moved back to Forks when I was sixteen, to help Charlie when he was sick. The first day back to Fork High, I had a lab partner in bio… Edward. He was charming, he was sweet, he was attentive. I thought he was my dream guy. We were dating within days and said 'I love you' a week later. I was young, I was naïve. I didn't realize what was happening, I was too wrapped up in the enigma that was Edward Masen. I even fought Tanya for his affection. She hated me because he wanted me. It's actually a miracle we're friends today.

"My dad had a friend, Billy Black, from La Push, who had a son, Jacob. They spent a lot of time with us, helping out when Charlie needed it. Jake and I became instant friends, he was my best friend. But Edward got jealous. Very jealous. He started telling me I couldn't see Jake anymore. He tried to make it 'worth my while', buying me gifts, which I hated, but accepted because I loved him. I stopped seeing Jake, I stopped seeing any other friend.

"It got worse after he finally got me into bed. He convinced me real people in love had sex. I wasn't ready for it but I loved him and I was very attracted to him. Once I gave in, there was no stopping him. He called me to make sure I was home at night, kept me on his arm when we were in public, and took me everywhere he went. I was his possession.

"It made me nervous but I pushed those feelings aside. Renee hated it, Charlie hated it more. He kept threatening to get a restraining order on Edward if he didn't stop treated me like property. I threatened to run away. I was still convinced he loved me, that I loved him.

"Christmas, senior year, he proposed. I accepted, I was thrilled. The ring was giant, his promises were bigger. We were going to get married after graduation, move to Paris, and I could write, he would study French and go to school. Just the two of us. We kept it a secret, mainly because of Charlie. He convinced me secrets made it more romantic.

"I bought the tickets to Vegas and to Paris. I spent all my college money on him, on our dream. I was beyond excited. Edward was going to take care of me for the rest of our lives.

"Graduation came, we were set to leave in a week. Rosalie wanted us to come with us to a final party. Even though I'd practically deserted her, Rose still wanted to be my friend, still fought for me. I don't know what I would have done without her.

"We were at the party at Mike Newton's place. There was a lot of booze but I didn't have any. Edward didn't like me to drink. He had gotten there before me, something about needing to help Mike set up, which I had thought was weird, since they really weren't friends, just teammates on the baseball team. I kept looking for Edward… and couldn't find him. I was getting worried. What if he had left? What if I was alone at this party?

"I found him, upstairs, tangled up in Jessica Stanley. They were both naked and writhing around. I ran out before they could see me and threw up in the bushes. The next day, I ended it. I never told him why. The worst part, it wasn't because I was his property, it wasn't because he was essentially abusive to me. It was because he cheated. Because he wrenched my heart out and stomped on it and didn't even know I knew. If I hadn't caught him, we would have gone to Vegas, got married, and I would have been blissfully ignorant.

"He moved to Chicago and I never heard from him. His mom talked to my mom, and told me he had gone to medical school and had a girlfriend, Alice. The smart one." She choked out a laugh, her eyes misty with tears. I smoothed my hands through her hair, and she leaned into my touch.

"I hate him. I didn't want to hate him when he first came, he seemed so sad. I thought he was really in love with Alice, that I could help him win her back. Forget that!

"Jasper, you have to know. I don't love him. I will never love him again. I love you. Always you. You… you're it. I know we're moving fast, like Edward and I did, but there is nothing similar to our situations. You're open, honest. You don't possess me, though you do have my heart. You don't crush me. And God help you if you cheat on me." She giggled.

"Bella, that's not funny. No other woman could be you. You're it for me. I'm done looking, I'm done searching. You. Are. It."

She let out a sound that sounded like a half-laugh, half-sob, and kissed me. There was nothing sexual about our kiss. We were telling each other everything we were feeling, reassuring each other.

We pulled away and I wiped away the tears that fell with my thumbs. I kissed her forehead, kissed her eyes and nose and cheeks.

"I need a nap," she whispered. I gathered her in my arms and took her to our bedroom. I laid her in the bed, covering her with our feather comforter. "Stay," she asked desperately.

"I'm not going anywhere," I promised as I held her to me. I joined her in a dreamless sleep.

**A/N II: Don't hate me for making Edward a dick. But... I dunno, I kind of think he is some of the time. So yeah. I usually don't ask for reviews, but please leave me your thoughts. More is still to come. And please keep my penname in mind. I like happy, people, this is a Jasper/Bella story and it will stay that way. :-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Oh my gosh, you guys are all amazing. We hit the 200+ review mark last chapter. I have to give a shout out to LittleLea05 for being not only the 100th reviewer, but the 200th as well!!! Hehe. But you are ALL amazing readers, I swear!!! Thank you so much. I hope you keep enjoying the story. There are more bumps along the way, but never forget about the love. ;-) Thanks as always to my lovely beta, EmmaleeWrites05. :-D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jasper, or any other part of Twilight, no matter how much I'd like to have make-up sex with him. ;-)**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Sixteen

**BPOV**

I woke up from a nightmare, covered in sweat. I looked wildly into the room, grasping for Jasper. He was there, reaching back for me. I curled myself into his arms, entwining my legs with his, burying my face in his neck. I felt tears streaming down my face.

"Shh, Bella, darlin', it's OK. You're OK." He was rubbing my back, kissing my forehead, my hair, my cheeks.

"It was real, wasn't it?" I asked. My voice sounded tiny and meek, even to myself.

He frowned, studying my face. "Yeah, 'fraid so."

"OK." I sunk down into the pillows. I looked at him, absorbing the love I saw in his eyes, shining through the concern. It made me feel better. Jasper gave me strength.

"I love you," he said simply.

"I love you, too," I echoed and kissed him softly. Neither of us deepened the kiss but simply clung to each other. He dotted butterfly kisses over my face and neck, then looked at me again. I could tell he was apprehensive.

He looked like he was about to say something when my cell rang. I checked caller ID. Renee.

"Hi Mom," I said, brightening my voice to cover the timidity.

"Hi sweetheart. How are you today?" Renee's voice was breezy as usual.

"I've… been better."

"Everything OK?"

"It will be."

"Is something wrong with you and Jasper?" She sounded slightly alarmed.

"No! No, we're fine." Jasper gave me a slight squeeze around my waist. "More than fine."

"OK. Well, honey, I just had to call to tell you I had a conversation with Elizabeth Masen at the grocery store and it seems that Edward is in town."

"I know," I said stonily.

"How do you know?!"

"He was here."

"WHAT?!" Renee shrieked and I had to hold to phone away from my ear. "What happened?!"

"He… said some things."

"Such as?"

"I don't want to talk about it." The pit in my stomach that had appeared the moment I heard Edward's voice grew uncomfortably. I hated the feeling and I loathed that he still had control over my mood, my life, after all these years.

"This is my fault," she said quietly. "I told Elizabeth you had moved… I told her you lived in Port Angeles. She knows you still have the truck. She…"

"Mom… It's OK. I mean, I wish he hadn't shown up. I really wish I had never seen his face again. He hasn't changed one bit. But… it's not your fault."

"Yes it is, if I hadn't…" Renee was on the point of distraught. She never failed to persuade herself that things were her fault. When Charlie got cancer, she convinced herself she was at fault, for leaving him. Her guilt brought us back to Forks. She always blamed herself for my relationship with Edward, that she hadn't been paying enough attention, that somehow his tendencies for control was her own fault. That if she hadn't left Charlie, he wouldn't have gotten sick, and I wouldn't have been driven into the arms of an emotionally abusive boyfriend. I hated it when she did it.

"MOTHER. This is NOT your fault. PLEASE stop. Just… don't worry about it. I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Fine," she said quietly. I could practically hear her berating herself. "I love you, hun."

"Love you, too," I mumbled and hung up.

Jasper's face was soft and full of concern.

"She blames herself for everything," I told him, closing my eyes. I was tired again.

**JPOV**

I was angry and confused and had no idea how to proceed. This was brand new territory for me. I hated seeing the sadness and weariness on her face. This asshole had taken her to hell and she had had to drag herself out. Then he just shows up, out of the blue…

Defeating my normally vivacious and loving girlfriend into the shell he had once left her in. I wanted to beat his face to a bloody pulp for making Bella so broken.

We laid in bed for awhile, not saying anything, my head resting on her stomach, she running her hands through my hair. I kissed her belly once, hugging her tightly to me.

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright in bed. It startled me, especially the fierce look in her eyes.

"Know what? I'm done. I won't let that motherfucker ruin me, my mood, you, us. Nothing. I am tired of being his victim. I'm tired of him having control over me and my emotions. He hurt me but you know what?" She cupped my face in her hands, looking me directly in my eyes. "I won't give him that power anymore. Know why?"

"No," I said, flabbergasted.

"Because I have the sexiest, smartest, sweetest, most wonderful man in the world, right here in this very bed… our bed. And I'm head over heels in love with him and right now, I want to make love to him until neither one of us remembers our own names, and we simply leave the rest of the world behind us." Her voice was suddenly husky and seductive.

She leaned forward to kiss me and I pulled back. I knew I'd curse myself forever for stopping her, but I had to.

"I love you, too, darlin'. More than you know. Always and forever. But I see what you're doing. You're trying to forget him by being with me and I can't take advantage of you when you're so upset like this." I massaged her hands to reassure her, but I felt her grow tense.

"But Jasper, honey… I really do need you. I love you with all I have. I want to celebrate our love."

"I want that, too. I want you, I really do. But you've been upset, badly, and I can't be the guy who takes advantage of you."

She dropped her hands from mine, looking defeated. Shit. I had just made her feel worse. I was supposed to make her feel better, not hurt her more deeply.

"Bella-" She shook her head and I could see the tears falling down her cheeks. She stood, and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Fuck. I'm an asshole.

**BPOV**

Rejection washed through my body. There was a lump in my throat so big it threatened to choke me and I couldn't stop the damn tears from falling. I locked the bathroom door behind me, limply sliding to the floor against it.

I couldn't help the few sobs that escaped. It had nothing to do with Edward; I had been bound and determined to put him behind me. I wanted Jasper, to confirm that I had truly moved on, and that I had the most wonderful, loving boyfriend in the world, a man Edward couldn't hope to be like in a million years.

And he hadn't wanted me. Not really. Not like I want him. Pain rolled through me, such an unfamiliar feeling since he'd come into my life. I needed Jasper like I needed air and now I felt like I was suffocating. Minutes passed, and I heard nothing but my own gasping breaths and tiny sobs that escaped every once in awhile.

After what felt like ages, but was probably less than five minutes, I could hear him moving behind the door, could almost feel him sliding against the door on the other side. We were leaning against each other, but a wall separated us, literally and figuratively.

I heard him breathing unevenly and I wondered if he was crying, too.

"Bella… darlin'… please." He sounded to broken, the same as I was. "Don't shut me out. Please."

"Jasper… I needed you. You didn't want me. I need some time."

"Darlin', I always need you, I always want you. I also respect you and I felt like I'd be using you if I let myself make love to you when you're so upset. It wouldn't be right."

"Jasper, I needed you to show me how much you love me. I wanted to show you that I need you." My voice caught, and a sob escaped, unbidden.

"Bella, please let me in. I hate myself for making you cry, for hurting you."

"Jasper, I'm over him. You need to understand. I wanted to show you that you're all I need."

"Then let me make it up to you. I'm so sorry, my love. I'm such an ass."

"Yes, you are," I teased through my tears. He gave a choked laugh. "You need to stop being such a good guy."

"But good guy is all I have," he joked. "Bella, please open the door."

"Give me a minute," I finally said. I still sounded pathetically weak to my own ears. "I need to clean up, I look like shit." I examined myself in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, my face puffy and streaked with tears, my hair somehow a mess, my nose runny.

He laughed. "I bet you do. I bet _I_ do. Let's look like shit together."

I couldn't help but smile. I dried my eyes and nose, and unlocked the door, opening it slowly. He stood there, looking pathetic and tearful and apologetic and absolutely adorable. He held out his arms to me, and I gladly slipped into them, locking my body to his. He just held me, rubbing my back, kissing the top of my head.

I looked up at him, gazing into his red-rimmed eyes. He had been crying. I kissed his cheek, tasting the salt from his tears. "You're such a baby," I teased, kissing his Adam's apple.

"Hey now. You shut me out. I can't take that, baby. Please don't shut me out, ever. I can't stand hurting you."

"I'm sorry, honey. Just know, you'd never be taking advantage of me. I'll always give you the advantage." I grinned, trying to brighten his eyes. I took his hand into mine, kissing his palm, his wrist, each fingertip. He was staring at me, evaluating me. Trying to see if I was telling the truth. He must have found what he was looking for, because after a moment he relaxed, and pulled me closer to him.

He kissed me on the throat and along my jaw. "Jasper…" I sighed. "Kiss me."

He obliged, which led to incredible makeup sex on the floor.

Edward?? Edward WHO??!!


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hope y'all like it!!! Thanks as always to my lovely beta, EmmaleeWrites05.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Wish I did.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Seventeen

**JPOV**

The next day, I was making an early lunch in the kitchen, grateful that Bella was in a good mood and the last few days seemed to be behind us. I didn't want our holidays to be tainted with the bad memories of Edward.

After we had made up after my enormous fuck-up, we had gone back to semi-normal. We had watched a movie on the couch; she cuddled into me, and had had an amazing make out session before falling asleep in each other's arms. I just hoped she wasn't burying the feelings inside, pretending.

I was just slicing some tomatoes for our sandwiches, when I heard Bella behind me. She cleared her throat and I turned to her. She was adorable, clutching a notebook to her chest, and biting her lip gently. She was in a pair of my plaid boxers and one of my white T-shirts, her hair loose and cascading down her back. She was a vision.

"Jasper, I was wondering… can you help me with something in my book?"

"Of course, honey. Whatcha need?" I sucked off my fingers, getting the tomato juice off, and leaned against the counter.

"Well, I'm working on this scene… He's leaving off to war, and he may never see his Yankee lover ever again. They're in love, they're desperate, they're, shall I say, horny?!"

I smirked at her. "Sounds nice."

"Yeah… so…" She walked over to me, fiddling with the collar of my shirt, looking up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes. My heart gave a hard thump and my pants got tighter. "Wanna help me research?"

My mouth watered. "Sure," I rasped out. Her hands were trailing up and down on my arms, lightly squeezing my arms.

"Mmm, Jasper, you're so strong. I want those arms holding me now." Her arms slid around my neck as I wrapped my arms around her. "Take me, solider," she said huskily.

"Take me like you're going off to war."

"With pleasure, ma'am," I drawled and fairly attacked her mouth with mine. I whirled her around so that her back was against the counter and she went to hitch her leg around my hip. I slapped it away, kissing her neck.

"Wha- Jasper, I…" I bit at her neck, and she moaned, grinding her hips against mine.

"I'm going to bend you over this counter, and I'm going to take you so hard… Even when I'm away in battle, I'll have the image of your sweet behind, your back arching, my cock deep inside you, making you scream out my name…" I don't know where my words came from, but Bella seemed to love it. Her breaths were coming out heavily, her arms grasping at me wildly and her kisses fierce. I ground my erection against her, and she mewled, choking out my name.

"I need…" I pulled her T-shirt up and over her head, and found she had gone braless. Fuck me. I loved it when she did that. I instantly grabbed her nipple in between my lips, and sucked it into my mouth, loving how it pebbled at my touch.

"Ung, Jasper," Bella moaned, which only spurred me on more. She grabbed the edges of my T-shirt, attempting to pull it over my head. We parted lips and she threw my T-shirt somewhere in the corner. She instantly dove for my jeans, trying to unbutton them and unzip them as quickly as possible. _Eager little one_, I thought to myself. It made me smile.

She released me from my jeans and boxers and I stripped her of her pants. She was naked underneath those, too. My mouth melded back to hers, and we stood there, naked in the kitchen, kissing for what felt like hours. I could kiss her forever and be content to do nothing else. However, my cock had better ideas, and soon I was breaking the kiss, biting roughly at her neck and groping her ass.

Bella reached between us, taking my dick into her soft hands, stroking me none too gently.

"Fuck, Bella, that feels so good," I managed. I slid my hands into her slick folds, groaning as I felt how aroused she was for me.

"Jasper… Oh my God, I need you! Please…."

"Turn around," I growled, sinking my fingers into her hips. She kissed me once more, sucking on my tongue. If I wasn't already hard as a rock, that certainly would have done it. As is, I felt like I was about to explode at any moment.

She slowly turned, bending over the counter. I groaned, taking in the image. We'd never had sex this way. I was trying very hard to figure out why that was. Her bottom was firm and gorgeous, her hair flowing down her pale back, which was arched. She was waiting. She looked back at me, eyes glazed with lust, darker than I'd ever seen them.

"Jasper, you'd better fuck me now!" she warned, and I took a minute to tease her, circling her clit with my finger. She gasped, arching her back again. "NOW!" she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, smirking, and slammed into her. She screamed in what I hoped was pleasure, as I fought very hard not to cum right away. I held still for a moment, gathering my wits about me, but Bella had other plans. She began moving her hips, attempting to get me to move. I leaned forward to kiss her back, between her shoulders, and starting moving in her, slowly at first until she growled, "Harder, you idiot!"

I sped my hips up, thrusting in deeply. She was moaning, sighing, whimpering, with each thrust of my hips. It wasn't enough. I wanted more. I moved forward, picking up her right leg, and bending it at the knee. I groaned as it granted me access far deeper inside her.

"Jasper!" she screamed, and thrust back hard against me. She threw her head back, willing me to fuck her harder. I did. I reached down to give her a tentative spank, gauging her reaction. She bucked hard against me and gave a sexy growl. I did it again, and she gasped out my name. Yeah, she liked it. Good to know.

I felt myself getting close. She felt so good and tight around me this way. She had to cum with me. I used one hand to cup her left breast, massaging it, while my other hand snaked down to her clit, rubbing it quickly.

"Ahh, Jasper, oh God…" she shrieked, and I could feel her tighten up. "Just a little more… harder, Jasper, ung!"

I doubled my efforts, and was rewarded with a loud shriek and "FUCK!" from Bella as she came all over me. It didn't take long for me to reach my orgasm with her, cumming so hard I swore I saw stars.

I nearly collapsed on top of her, heart pounding in my chest. I had never had an orgasm quite that intense before. I reluctantly slid out of her and we both groaned at the loss. I turned her around so she was facing me again and I kissed her deeply.

"Oh my God, that was amazing!" she said before kissing me again.

"No kidding," I said, resting my forehead against hers. I was still trying to recover.

She licked her lips. "Do you think that's really how he'd take her?"

"Huh, what? Who?"

She giggled lightly, kissing me once more, wrapping her soft nude body against mine. Jasper Junior stirred below.

"For my story."

"Oh. Right. Book. Uh…"

"Jasper…" she whispered, and kissed me again. This time, I kissed her as we moved together.

**BPOV**

After recovering from mind-bending sex with Jasper, I got back to writing. I was definitely inspired for the next chapter.

Reading and writing were my escape, and had been long before there was actually someone or something to escape from, long before Edward the Ass come into my life. I was able to bust out three chapters before 3 pm.

Rosalie called me that afternoon, in some sort of panic.

"Bella, you HAVE to come shopping with me and Tanya."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's me and Emmett's first New Year's as an engaged couple, and I have to look perfect for him."

"Rose, you could wear a tablecloth and that man would still worship the ground you walk on."

"Yeah, but… c'mon, it has to be perfect. Please? Pretty Please? I help you find a dress for Jasper."

"I'm pretty sure I don't want Jasper wearing any dress."

"Oh my GOD, you are impossible. I mean for you to wear for him. When we're done with you his tongue will be dragging on the floor."

"Well that's a gross image," I said, giggling. I could practically hear Rosalie rolling her eyes. Perhaps steam was escaping her ears.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I'll be at your house in an hour. We are going shopping. No getting out of it. Just don't you or Jasper be naked when I get there. I'm not sure my poor virgin eyes could take it."

"Virgin, HA! I'll see you later."

True to her word, Rosalie and Tanya pulled into our driveway an hour later on the dot. Honking impatiently, Rosalie kept the car running, and after kissing Jasper goodbye, I dashed out.

I think they dragged me to twelve different shops before Rose found her perfect dress. It was tight, red, and I knew it would give Emmett a heart attack when he saw her in it.

"So how are you and Jasper?" asked Tanya. She was currently looking at herself in the mirror wearing some green silky number which would have Felix panting after her.

"We're good," I said cryptically. I knew they wouldn't let it go.

"Yeah, I can tell, you've got that afterglow about you. Lucky. Sometimes I can barely get Felix to look at me twice."

"Whatever," Rosalie scoffed. "That boy can't keep his hands off you until you've CUM twice, you silly woman."

Tanya grinned. "Yeah, that must be why I'm knocked up."

"WHAT?!" Rosalie and I both exclaimed.

Tanya got a soft, dreamy look in her eyes, and unconsciously rubbed her belly. "Yep. Just found out a few weeks ago. We wanted to wait to tell after we'd gone to the doctor."

Rose and I both squealed, pulling her into a big, teary, excited group hug. We were all literally jumping up and down in the dressing room, and several women looked at us like we were insane. Whatever. One of my best friends was pregnant.

My best friend engaged the other pregnant… I tried not to sigh out of happiness… and dare I say jealousy. I couldn't help but admit to myself that I very much wanted those things with Jasper. I pictured us an old married couple surrounded by kids and barking dogs and a big old house where we'd sit on the porch holding hands, watching a sunset. Totally cliché. Completely irresistible. Entirely premature, but still nice to think about.

I had planned on telling them about the Edward Incident but I couldn't cloud this happy moment with my dumb ass ex. He still haunted me, making me feel like a weak child, despite my best efforts to forget it and move on. Jasper was monumental in my abilities to move on and feel anything beyond despair. He calmed me, made me smile, and made me happy. I was still frightened, more that Edward had been able to find me with little more than Renee's slip that I lived in Port Angeles, and my red truck in the driveway. I couldn't help but feel a bit afraid. Edward had never once hurt me, physically, but if he were jealous, angry, or resentful…

I brushed my thoughts aside. I would be safe. I know Jasper would never let anything happen to me. I hoped Edward would just hightail it back to Chicago and just leave us the fuck alone.

My hopes were confirmed when a relieved sounding Renee called me when Rose and Tanya were paying for their dresses, to tell me she heard through the grapevine that Edward had gotten on a plane that morning back to Chicago to win Alice back. I was never happier that Renee was a horrid gossip. I could only hope that Alice wouldn't take the ass back. If she was any kind of smart, she wouldn't.

Tanya, Rose and I decided to celebrate with ice cream sundaes. Rosalie was already buzzing with wedding plans and she and Tanya were trying to guess if it were a boy or a girl. Rose loved babies and I was pretty sure that as soon as she and Emmett were on their honeymoon she'd be trying to get pregnant.

"So Bella," Tanya said, breaking me from my thoughts, "We need to get you a dress for New Years! It's gotta be something Jasper dies over."

I groaned, despite myself. "Fine… fine… But it better be a dress so good he'll want to tear it off me the second he sees me in it."

"That could be arranged," Rosalie said with a wicked grin.

An hour later, I was standing in front of a mirror, nodding my approval. _Bingo. _


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews from last chapter. You guys rock!!! Thanks as always to my lovely beta, EmmaleeWrites05. If you know what's good for you, you'll stop by her awesome fics, "Reservations" written with the glorious LittleLea05, and "Royale." :-D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Still.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Eighteen

**JPOV**

I sat in our living room, waiting for Bella to finish dressing for the New Year's Eve party at Rosalie's house. It was already 9:30, we were going to be late, since we still had a drive to Forks.

"Bella, love, are you almost finished?" I hollered up the stairs.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec…"

I heard the door to our bedroom swing open. I continued reading the magazine from the coffee table. I heard her walk down the stairs and clear her throat. I turned and my jaw dropped.

I didn't know where to look first. Her hair was slightly curled, falling over her shoulders, and looking a lot like sex hair. Her dress was a deep plum color that made her pale skin glow. She was even wearing high heels, which I immediately envisioned digging into my back as I fucked her. My pants grew tighter at the thought.

"Bella, you look…" I couldn't finish my sentence. My hands were itching to find their way under the fabric, to tear it away from her body, to make her mine.

She smirked. "You like?" She turned around slowly, showing off how well the dress accentuated her… err… assets.

"Baby, do we have to go to this party?"

"Oh yes we do," she said, grinning. She walked until she was in front of me. She fiddled with my tie, as she bit her lip. Pulling me forward by my tie, she kissed me deeply. It was the kind of kiss that would make it hard for me to walk.

"Honey, if you're going to kiss me like that and expect me to go quietly, you've got another thing coming," I told her when she pulled away.

"I'm sorry; you're just so sexy in a tie." I grinned at her as I went to get our coats. I caught her checking out my ass and a fiery blush colored her cheeks.

"Let's get out of here before I maul you," I said, grabbing the keys. She whimpered slightly, and followed me out the door.

**BPOV**

We made it to Rosalie's with less than an hour before midnight. Rosalie was indignant.

"What the hell were you guys doing?!"

"We got distracted… sort of. But we're here now; don't get your panties in a twist."

She glared at me and stalked off to find Emmett. As I predicted, he couldn't keep his hands to himself whenever she wore red. Tanya and Felix were no different. He kept rubbing her still-flat stomach and nuzzling her neck. I'd never seen my best friends look happier.

Jasper brought me a flute of champagne, and then promptly wound his arm around my waist, pulling my back flush with his chest. I could feel his erection against my back and it took all of my will-power not to grind my hips against him to tease him. I didn't think him taking me in front of all our friends would really bode so well. I merely leaned back to place a tiny kiss to the side of his neck.

It was almost midnight. Soon, we'd all wish each other a Happy New Year and then I could steal Jasper away back home and really celebrate. I couldn't wait.

**JPOV**

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!" everyone exclaimed. I immediately pulled Bella in for a spectacular kiss. I soon forgot where we were and that we weren't alone. I pulled her closer and closer until I'm sure we looked like one being. I was tangled up in her and I didn't care who saw… apparently. She sighed, slipping her tongue into my mouth, and I went to hitch her leg around my waist until I heard catcalls somewhere in the distance.

I wrenched my mouth away from hers reluctantly, and realized the entire party was watching us practically dry hump each other in the middle of Rose and Emmett's living room.

I wanted to die of embarrassment. I hadn't drank a lot tonight, but I suddenly remembered I get very handsy with even a little alcohol in me. Bella was burying her face in my chest and she was shaking. I crooked my finger under her chin to bring her face to mine and I could see that she was laughing hysterically. Her face was beyond scarlet, beyond fiery, and had reached the ultra level of embarrassment, but she had a wide grin on her face and she couldn't stop giggling.

Her friends were all hooting and hollering and Emmett was supplying the catcalls. I saw no other way out of this. I dipped Bella low, despite her horrified protests, and laid a big sloppy kiss on her. I set her back on her feet and gave a low bow. Everyone was roaring with laughter, and Bella looked like she was torn between killing me and dragging me upstairs to fuck me silly. I prayed for the latter.

Instead, she moved to hug her friends and say goodbye. Score!

We wished everyone another Happy New Year and then we got into the car to drive home. I took extra care to watch out for drunks. I refused to welcome in a new year and not see it through.

We barely made it through the door before we attacked each other. Before we knew it, I was bending her over the couch and pounding into her. Apparently, we both enjoyed the position, now that we had discovered it, and I was more than willing to give the lady what she wanted.

"Jasper… so close… oh my God!"

I rubbed her clit and she was cumming all around my cock. "Fuck, Jasper!" I pushed into her harder, looking for my own release. I continued to play with her clit, and soon she was tightening around me again, making me cum along with her, shouting her name.

We made it shakily upstairs and I kissed her before we both fell asleep.

**BPOV**

Soon, much too soon, Jasper had to go back to work. We resumed our daily routines, with me working at the bookshop a few days a week, working on my book the rest of the time. I was making great progress. I had more than three hundred pages done. I didn't know exactly how much I'd keep, and how many more chapters I wanted to add, but I was almost to the editing stage. Jasper had been hugely helpful in making the story flow, in helping me with historical details, and inspiring me for the love scenes.

Gramps and Charlotte got engaged over New Years. They had shown up at our house the next day, Charlotte flashing her engagement ring for everyone to see, and Gramps looking pleased as a peacock.

They were planning on a wedding in July. They decided they wanted to marry after a big reenactment down in Texas, one in which Jasper was also planning on attending. They wanted to have a period themed wedding, which hadn't entirely surprised me. "We've both already had the white wedding. We want to have fun this time around," Charlotte explained.

January passed by in a blur. February came with even worse weather, during which Jasper and I spent our evenings together in front of the fire, him reading or preparing lessons, and I refining my story to a more manageable size. Rosalie was already hounded me with wedding plans. I was immediately appointed Maid of Honor, and Rose was already turning into a mega Bridezilla. I don't know how Emmett was going to put up with it. I didn't know how I would fare, either.

Valentine's Day was just around the corner. I was excited. It was the first Valentine's Day with Jasper; the first one that would ever matter. I had it all planned out. The white silky, lacy nighty was hidden deep into the back of the closet. I would make Italian; it was both of our favorite kind of food. He'd come home from work, tired and weary. I'd massage the tension away, and we'd make slow, passionate love. It was going to be perfect.

I spent the whole day getting myself and the house ready. I laid candles literally everywhere and painstakingly worked on dinner. Jasper had a meeting after work, so he wouldn't be home until after five. It gave me just enough time to light all the candles and put on the silk and lace, along with a sheer white robe. It felt almost bridal but I ignored those feelings. Still way too soon.

I heard Jasper walk in the door and set his books and papers down on the table in the foyer.

"Bella?" He sounded tired and weary.

"I'm in here, Jasper," I said, hoping to sound seductive.

He came into the living room, looking weak and vaguely like he had a fever. My mood snapped, and I rushed over to him, forgetting seduction. "Baby, are you OK?"

"I don't feel so well," he said and slouched on the couch. He shut his eyes immediately.

His usual lightly tanned skin was gaunt and clammy. Concern washed through me. "I've felt nauseous all day."

"Was it something you ate?"

"No, I haven't been hungry all day. Just tired. I honestly don't know how I made it through today."

I snuggled into his side. "I'm sorry I ruined what looks like amazing plans."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. You don't feel well. It's not your fault. I just want you to feel good."

"You always make me feel good," he said, but immediately winced in pain, clutching at his side.

"What is it?" I asked, jumping away from him in case I caused it.

"My stomach… no, not my stomach. My side… Ahh!" he hissed in pain.

"Baby, I think you need to go to the hospital. This doesn't sound right."

"No, no, I'll be fine; I want to stay with my girl on Valentine's Day." But immediately, he hunched over in pain again, gasping for air.

"No, we're going to the emergency room. Now."

I rushed upstairs to pull on decent clothes, not caring what it was, and ran into the living room to blow out all the candles so we didn't come back to a burning home. I shut off the stove, which was keeping our dinner warm. I helped Jasper into his coat and held him around the waist as we walked to his car.

We got to the hospital just in time, as Jasper leaned out the car door and vomited. He moaned, sounding absolutely miserable. My worry intensified.

We checked in and he laid down on a hospital bed, crawling into the fetal position. The doctors came in and ordered a few tests, though they all suspected appendicitis, which is what I had been fearing. Renee had had it when I was ten and her symptoms were almost identical to Jasper's.

A blood test and a CT scan later and it was confirmed. They began prepping for immediate surgery.

Somehow, I kept strong for him. I knew, deep down, that most people came out of this just fine, and that I really had nothing to worry about. Still, knowing the man I loved was going under the knife without warning really did a number on me. I was terrified.

I kept a calm face for him, telling him I'd see him soon, kissing him softly before they wheeled him behind the double-doors. Then the floodgates opened and I sank into the waiting room chair and cried.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed. I love knowing what you guys think, it inspires me to keep writing!!! Thanks as always to my lovely beta.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I'd be a nurse for Jasper any day. ;-)**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Nineteen

**BPOV**

The surgery went by at a snail's pace. Or at least that's how it felt. I had called Gramps and he and Charlotte immediately made it to the hospital amongst my ridiculous attempts at an apology for interrupting their Valentine's evening, to which Gramps promptly replied, "Shut up Bella, if you hadn't called us, we would have disowned your butt." That brought a small amount of humor but it did nothing to brighten my mood.

I spent the entire time pacing the waiting room, despite Charlotte's soothing words and Gramps' optimistic tone. "Darling, he'll be just fine!" or, "Yeah, he's been through much worse. That boy's as healthy as a horse, this is nothing. You've seen his scars, he was always getting hurt as a kid, I'm pretty sure he's indestructible."

I was sure I was going to run the carpet bare. What felt like an hour was five minutes and a half an hour felt like an eternity. I was an elderly woman when they called my name and I raced to the nurse.

"Mr. Whitlock is out of surgery and in the recovery room. He's doing wonderfully, the surgery went very smoothly and recovery should be swift. You can go and see him now."

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and a small sob escaped, one of relief and catharsis. I hugged Gramps and Charlotte and raced to follow the nurse with them close behind.

It was bizarre to see Jasper hooked up to monitors, in that thin green hospital gown that inevitably makes everyone look deathly ill. I raced to his side, grabbing his hand, which had an IV running into it. I didn't expect it, but I felt pressure around my own hand, and I looked to see he was squeezing my hand back.

His beautiful blue eyes fluttered open, groggy and unfocused. He muttered something, but it only came out as gibberish.

"Baby, Jasper, it's me, Bella. Honey?" His eyes sought out my face and when they connected, I sighed in relief. I stroked his face, and he leaned into my touch. I traced his face with my fingers, making sure he was really there, nearly as whole and intact as possible.

"Hi there," he rasped out with some difficulty. "Damn, I hate surgery."

I laughed softly. "I know what you mean. Don't do that to me again, OK?"

"Not my fault."

Laughing again, I ran my fingers through his hair. "I know sweetie. Get some more sleep. I'll be here, OK?"

"Don't leave me." His hand sought mine and I laced our fingers together.

"I wouldn't ever leave you, baby. Now sleep." I kissed his forehead and scooted the chair next to the bed as close as possible.

Gramps and Charlotte talked with the doctor and I heard the conversation, too, but most of it went over my head. I was too focused on Jasper. It was silly, really. He was only out of it because of the medicines and this surgery was nothing compared with some things. Routine, even. Yet I was terrified. It felt like we'd avoided a really close call. _Stupid Bella. Everything is OK. He's here. He's fine. _

**JPOV**

My biggest concern about this whole thing was that the doctor told me no physically exerting activities for a few weeks after the surgery. This meant only one thing, which I was not pleased about. I hated that we had missed our first Valentine's Day together. Despite how lousy I had felt after work that day, I hadn't failed to notice how sinfully beautiful she had looked in that white silky gown. My hands itched to feel her warm body beneath my hands, to trail kisses up and down her body, to connect with her over and over again.

Bella was the best nurse I could ever imagine, which made the patient/nurse fantasy even more tantalizing, and that much more frustrating. She was so sweet and attentive. When we got home from the hospital, she was at my beck and call for everything. My diet was pretty limited, but she was always there with an arsenal of food and drink so I wouldn't starve. It still really hurt to move around a lot, and the first night was the worst. The painkillers gave me nightmares like no other, and the main theme of them all centered on an epic battle with Ass-ward, in which he kicked my butt and took Bella away.

I woke up sweaty and shaky from that one, and it had taken Bella a half an hour to convince me she was really there. OK, it was less than that, but I really wanted her to keep kissing me like that. Bella's kisses were more healing than any stitch or pain medication known to man.

We spent a lot of time in bed, watching movies with her wrapped around me as much as she could with a scar on my belly. Since it still hurt to laugh, we watched dramas primarily, and my much loved collection of documentaries from the History Channel. Bella watched with me, claiming she was researching for her book, but I had a sneaking suspicion she was also watching for the uniforms. I couldn't wait to dress up for her again, get her full reaction, which I assumed would involve her stripping me down, but not before she... _Bad thoughts, Jasper, you're recovering from surgery… down boy…_

On day three, Bella decided it would be a brilliant idea to switch on _Gone with the Wind. _I groaned, protesting nearly every second, trying to point out all the bull-shit it contained. She hushed me by crushing her mouth to mine and giving me a swift hand job. It was probably against the rules, but fuck that! My girl has magic hands, healing hands.

Afterwards, I was silent, and let her watch the movie without a peep. Well, actually, I fell asleep, but that's beside the point. When I awoke, she was also asleep, looking so sweet and peaceful. What in the hell had I done in life to deserve her?

**BPOV**

Jasper was starting to get cabin fever after a week. He was urged by his doctor to rest as much as possible, and though Jasper wasn't exactly an adventure freak, he was chomping at the bit to get moving again. He would get to go back to work the following Monday and I would start working at the bookshop for Angela. Ben's father was sick, and they needed to get to Seattle to help him. I would make up for her shifts and my own.

Two weeks later, Angela was back and my shifts at the bookshop were back to normal. My book was slowly getting to the final stage; what had taken me years to begin had taken mere months to finish. I knew Jasper was my inspiration for it. It was obvious I would dedicate the book to him. I was nervous to send it in to a publisher. Who wouldn't be? But I felt like maybe this time was it.

Jasper was back at work and was healing very quickly. The time when the doctor said he could resume _physical activities _was approaching and I was sitting on my hands waiting for it. We had fooled around a lot but didn't make it past the third base thanks to doctor's orders. _Jerks. _It was hard keeping my hands to myself when all I wanted was to feel him inside me again. Something about him made me ache with need no matter how many times we were together. It could never be enough.

I was at work, sweeping up early so I could get home faster, thinking about Jasper and how much I needed to kiss him, when I heard the tell-tale bell on the door. I went to give my customary smile and greeting, when I saw Elizabeth Masen standing in the doorway. She wore a tailored black pantsuit and expensive silk scarf, which was completely out of place in Forks. She was taller than me, with coppery red hair much like Edward's, and blazing green eyes which told me she was not happy. I gulped.

"Hello Mrs. Masen. Can I help you?" I asked as calmly as I could manage. The woman had always intimidated me.

"Isabella. Hello. Can I have a word with you privately?" she said tersely.

I looked around us. No one else was in the shop. "Yes." I had to steel myself, to be strong. She had never liked me, never thought I was good enough for Edward. I stood behind the counter, and waited for the quiet anger she would no doubt inflict on me.

"Isabella," she started, putting heavy emphasis on my full name, "I know you know why I'm here."

"Do I?"

"Edward was here and I know you saw him. Don't be coy with me."

"What happened between Edward and myself is of no concern to you, Mrs. Masen."

"Ha! You think you can just destroy my son's future and then have the nerve to tell me it's none of my concern? Do you realize what you've done?"

"Mrs. Masen, I can assure you that what he's done to me was far worse than what I could have ever done to him."

"You selfish bitch." Her voice was cool, hard, even. It terrified me, worse than if she screamed and raged at me. "You ruined everything for him. His relationship with Alice is over thanks to you. They were an excellent match; they were supposed to be married. Her father is a prominent doctor in Chicago, did you know that? He would have had a steady job, in any hospital in the country. And you had to come in and ruin it all."

"Whatever happened between Edward and Alice is not my fault. He was the one who came here." My voice cracked, but I continued. "He interrupted me in my home, where he was not welcome, apparently stalked me to even know where I lived, and told me things he had no right to say to me anymore. I'd say that it was entirely his fault and I just hope that Alice has the good sense to end it with him."

"She has. He's moved out of their apartment and any hope for the future is gone. It's your fault, whether you take responsibility for it or not. Isabella, I cannot tolerate this. It is completely unacceptable."

"Mrs. Masen, I think it's time you left. I have nothing to say to you that would convince you that I'm not out to get your son. He's not in my life anymore and I can't pretend that I'm not thrilled about it. I don't want to hear anything else you have to say. Please go."

She huffed for a moment, her eyes flashing, her nostrils flaring angrily. She gave me a look that would have ripped me to shreds had she the power, and turned on her heel, storming out of the shop. The door slid closed quietly, leaving me in a state of shock.

I was glad to hear Alice was smart enough to kick out Edward. She didn't deserve his crap. No one did. On the other hand, I was shaky. I was never good at confrontation. I always tried to please people; I hated it when people were less than completely happy with me. Elizabeth Masen had never liked me, so her speech hadn't completely come out of left field, but it still hurt, it still stung, it still angered.

I closed shop, still reeling with her accusations. The only thing I wanted to do was get home and hold Jasper. He could always calm me, something I couldn't explain but always welcomed.

By the time I got home, he was asleep on our bed, papers and books spread around him haphazardly. He looked peaceful and my heart leapt at the sight of his handsome face. He was beautiful. His honey blonde hair was falling into his face, and I brushed it aside lightly. He sighed in his sleep, muttering something I couldn't quite decipher.

I gathered up his papers as quietly as possible, placing the books and papers on his side table, and then crawled into bed with him, still fully dressed. I curved my body into his, careful not to brush against his stitches, and watched him sleep until I too succumbed to sleep.

**Alice's POV**

Was I angry? Hell yes I was. My dumbass boyfriend, or should I say EX-boyfriend, first refuses to commit to the relationship we had been building over the last few years. Then, he up and decides he's going home to find his ex-girlfriend, and when she rejects him, he comes crawling home to me, expecting me to accept him back into our home as if nothing had happened.

Like hell that would ever happen! Fuck that shit. I was done. Deep down, I know I should have been done with him a long time ago. There were times where he really drove me crazy, when he'd get too possessive or lavish me with gifts. Don't get me wrong, I loved the attention, but there were still moments where a tiny voice in my head would warn me that something wasn't quite right.

Then there were the times where it was obvious he still hadn't gotten over Bella. I called him out on it and he'd always deny it. I internally snorted. Clearly, I was right, if he went crawling to her when I started talking marriage with him.

Both of our parents had agreed marriage was imminent. We were apparently a "good match." I always hated the label and I hated the implication.

And now I was done. We were done. I felt relieved more than anything, which was a great surprise.

The first person I'd called was my best friend, Victoria. She was my partner in crime and also nursing a broken heart from her do-nothing boyfriend, Laurent. We cried together, eating Rocky Road ice cream, and denouncing men… for the time being. We were both shameless flirts, much to Edward's chagrin, and I was already dying to get back into the dating pond.

I needed to get laid. Edward wasn't exactly the best in bed, despite what he thought about himself.

On Saturday night, Victoria and I went out to a club. We both helped each other get dressed, fussing over each other's clothes, hair and makeup. We were always this way, but tonight we were on a mission to look as sexy as possible, so we intensified our normal routines. We were free women, looking for fun, and I somehow knew we'd find it.

We got to the club just as it was really starting to rock. We flirted with the bartenders and ordered a couple Sex on the Beaches, surveying the scene. Later, we danced together; knowing the eyes of every man (and some women) would be on us as we grinded together.

I suddenly felt hands on my hips, and I turned to see the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen smile back at me. "Hi, I'm Demetri," he said, and I melted at the huskiness, the deepness, the pure sex he emanated. Victoria was also occupied by a tall man with long blonde hair in a ponytail. She was grinning at me and we both winked.

Demetri and I danced together for the rest of the night and when he kissed me at the end of the evening, I got goosebumps.

**A/N II: I'm not planning on writing more for Alice's POV. I just wanted to show you guys what went down in Chicago, and that our girl is going to be just fine. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing!!! I appreciate it always!!! Thanks as always to my lovely beta, EmmaleeWrites05.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight. Damn.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty

**BPOV**

I was washing the dishes by hand when I felt his arms wind around me. Washing dishes always helped me clear my mind. At the moment, I was trying to ignore the fire that was on a slow burn in the pit of my stomach that had existed for weeks now. I cursed Jasper's doctor for restricting sex but I could obviously understand why. Still, third base wasn't doing it for me anymore. I needed him.

As his hands easily caressed my arms, and he nibbled my neck, I was on the verge of snapping. "Jasper," I managed weakly, "Don't start what you can't finish. Please, I can't take it."

"Well that's perfect because I have every intention of finishing what I started." He licked a line down my neck and then blew softly, causing me to shiver out of control.

"But… the doctor said…"

"That it's fine for me to resume my everyday activities, including my _physical _activities." I gasped as he whirled me around, pinning me against the counter, and took my lips in a searing kiss. My hands were covered in soapy water, but he didn't seem to care and I wasn't about to stop him.

I can't tell you how long we kissed in that kitchen but it wasn't long enough. It was never long enough. Then again, if we never stopped kissing we'd never progress… and progress we did. Before I knew it, I was topless and he was worshiping my breasts like he'd never seen them before.

"Jasper… honey… I need you…" I barely gasped out. My heart was racing beyond the limits of healthy and I was lightheaded with desire. He wrestled me out of my pants, and slid down my panties until I was completely naked. He was still fully clothed and that was just a sin.

I fumbled with the buttons on his flannel shirt, but finally managed to push it back to reveal his sexy arms and toned chest and stomach. I had to stop and stare for a moment. He was almost too beautiful. He was all mine.

Jasper had always been covered with scars, thanks to multiple accidents as a kid, but his newest one was still healing. I suddenly remembered that I couldn't be as rough and needy with him as I wanted to be.

He caught me staring and lifted my chin to meet our gazes. He kissed me as I undid his belt and pants so that we were both naked.

I shivered as I felt skin against skin. We were both burning up with need; our hands were flying everywhere, needing to fully reacquaint ourselves with each other's bodies. It wasn't too long before I had hoisted myself onto the counter, and he was slipping inside me.

We probably went too fast, we probably should have taken our time, but we were far beyond tenderness. We were driven by lust, pure and simple. Of needing to be together again. It had been weeks. Far, far too long.

He bit my neck gently when he came and I followed seconds later. I covered his faces with kisses and held him to me.

"Are you OK?"

"I'm more than OK. That was amazing!"

I giggled. "You can say that again. Maybe we should hold off from each other more often."

"Don't even kid about that," he growled sexily and I shivered. He cupped my breasts in his hands, and my nipples hardened when he brushed his fingers across the tips. "Follow me," he said, and tugged my hand, bidding me to trail after him into our bedroom.

We made up for lost time over and over again.

**JPOV**

To say that Bella and I made up for lost time was an understatement. It was like the first time all over again. I couldn't get enough of her. We spent the entire weekend in the bedroom. Bella woke up Monday morning with 50 angry texts and voicemails from Rosalie, indignant that Bella hadn't been there to pick out linens for the reception. Sometimes I had no idea how she put up with it, but I could tell that both girls had deep affection for each other that was more like a sisterly bond than best friends and future cousins.

I came home some weeks later to Bella making brownies. I just watched her from the doorway. She had the radio on and was humming and swaying to some unknown song. She was in a deep blue sweater, jeans and thick woolen socks. It tugged at my heart. I couldn't explain it; it was like I was watching the future, like I wasn't just in the present but in the days to come. She was sexy without trying; she was timeless without meaning to be.

"Hey love," she called. She held out her finger, smeared with chocolate out to me, and I sucked off the sweet batter. Comparatively, her skin was salty, and I relished the both the flavors. "Good, huh?"

"You betcha. Delicious, just like you." I waggled my eyebrows at her and she giggled before swatting my ass with her dish towel.

"Jasper, I was wondering something," she said as I stuck my head in the fridge to pull out a beer. "You had girlfriends before me, right?"

I tried hard not to choke on my beer at her abrupt question. "Yes," I said cautiously.

"I was just wondering. We've never really talked about it," she said nonchalantly.

My eyes narrowed. What was she getting at? I wasn't going to be giving her any numbers, if that's what she thought. Not that there were many. I wasn't exactly a ladies' man, but I didn't have a clean slate, either.

"I mean, I had Edward. Did you ever have a first love? Someone I should worry about, watch my back for?" She giggled.

"Not really, no. I mean, I dated some girls in high school and college, but no one really stuck. I was never serious about anyone until I met you," I said sincerely.

"Really?" She seemed surprised.

"Yes, really. Is that hard to believe?" She came to me and wound her arms around my neck.

"Yeah, it is. Have you SEEN you? I find it hard to believe I'm the first one that held your attention."

"You're the only one who's ever mattered," I told her. I hoped she knew how serious I was. She studied my eyes and seemed to find her answer.

"So… no one?"

"No one that really mattered. Not one." I wrapped my arms around her waist and she snuggled right into my chest. I held her for what felt like forever, breathing in the scent of her hair and rubbing circles on the small of her back. She sighed in contentment.

When I kissed her, she held me back just as tightly, and though I'd known it probably since I first laid eyes on her, I truly knew that she was the one.

"Darlin', spring break is coming up soon. I have a week off. I thought maybe we could go someplace, just you and me. Get out of this crummy town. Make love somewhere new and exciting."

"Mmm, that sounds nice," she said, toying with the top button of my shirt. "Where should we go?"

"Well, I know you hate surprises, so I thought maybe we plan it together."

She beamed at me. I wasn't controlling to any extent, but ever since I had learned about Edward's behavior towards her, I was always cautious to make sure she didn't think I was trying to tell her what to do. We were equals and I hoped she knew that.

"Yeah, let's do that right now!"

"What about the brownies?"

"Oh yeah. Let me just…" She fiddled around with the dials on the oven and turned back to me.

"Let's go!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me to her laptop.

**BPOV**

I couldn't wait for our first trip together as a couple. We decided in the end to take a ferry up to Victoria, British Columbia. I hadn't been there since I was a kid, even though it was so close, and Jasper had never been to the island. We would leave in a week, Friday afternoon after Jasper got off work.

In the meantime, I had "fun" things to look forward to, specifically helping Rose plan the wedding. I loved the woman with all my heart but she was driving me crazy with her orders and phone calls at two in the morning, where she'd cry over whether or not she'd fit into her wedding dress on the big day, or if she should have white, cream, or ivory linens.

Charlotte was a lot more fun to plan with. She wasn't fussy over details and she just wanted to have fun with it. They'd marry after the big reenactment, down in Texas, dressed in period costume. The idea still cracked me up, but I couldn't deny that it sounded like fun. Her daughters, who were both in their 40s, lived far enough away that I was her biggest help when it came to planning and preparing.

Charlotte, I did not mind helping. She reminded me of the grandmother I wish I had. Charlie's mom had died when I was a kid, and Renee's mom was about as flighty as her daughter, and was flitting around Florida someplace. Needless to say, I wasn't close to either of them. With Charlotte, I could easily see why Gramps loved her so much. She was amazing.

All this talk of weddings and babies, thanks to Rose, Charlotte, and Tanya, had me thinking about Jasper and our future together. We were coming close to our six month anniversary. It felt unreal that it was only six months, since it felt like we'd been together for years.

It almost scared me how ready I was for marriage and babies with him. I wanted it so badly it almost ached sometimes. I think he felt the same way, but we were both avoiding the topic, not wanting to seem too eager.

I was getting ready to have Rose and Emmett over for dinner when Jasper came home from work. I was already exhausted from working an early shift at the bookshop and editing my story all afternoon, but all seemed to be forgotten when Jasper kissed me.

His hands were wandering everywhere and I was melting against him. Our kisses grew in intensity, and I only remembered myself when his hands traced the strip of skin exposed by my sweater riding up. I moaned as I felt my body flush. "Jasper… Jasper, we gotta stop… People… here soon…"

"Right," he said between kisses, and then pinned me against the counter, kissing me even harder. His tongue was driving me wild, coaxing mine into his mouth so he could gently suck on it. His hips met mine roughly, and I was crawling out of my skin to get as close as possible to him.

He shifted his attention to my neck, paying special attention to the spot just under my ear.

"Oh God, Jasper, so good!" I moaned. I could feel every inch of him against me, and I was itching to get my hands on him… _all_ of him.

"Yeah, Jasper, more! Harder! Faster!" I heard a falsetto voice behind my shoulder and we tore apart quickly. Fucking Emmett was standing at the open kitchen window, with a shit eating grin on his face. I turned to look at Jasper and he was grinning widely himself. _Men._

"EMMETT! Get your ass over here NOW!" I heard Rosalie call from the front porch.

"I'm going to step out for a minute," Jasper whispered, and from his slight limp, I knew exactly what he was going to do. I had to bite my lip to keep from groaning. It took a huge amount of self control to stop myself from running after him to give him a hand.

I let Rosalie in and Emmett after, but not after threatening to tear off certain parts of his body and feeding them to the wolves.

Jasper showed up minutes later and he was blushing slightly. We all knew what he was up to, and it made me want him even more. _Later, _I told myself.

I had made dinner for eight, even though there were only four of us. Jasper and Emmett had infinite appetites, something that amused and astonished me and Rose. We simply rolled our eyes and Rose engaged me in wedding talk, which in turn made the boys roll their eyes.

"Jasper, my man, Bella might joke now, but just wait until she's planning your wedding. She's going to be just as bad as Rosie here."

My eyes immediately snapped up from my plate, searching out Jasper's face. He was grinning, a small lopsided smile I rarely saw from him, but I knew meant he was embarrassed and pleased with himself. Our eyes met and I allowed myself to smile.

_Soon, _his eyes were telling me.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Vacation time!!! Thanks so much to all of you guys for reading and reviewing. I love knowing what you think. Keep it up!!! :-) You seriously make me smile. Thanks so much to EmmaleeWrites05 for being my lovely beta despite how busy she gets. I really appreciate you, hun!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but SM never wrote about our heroes on Vancouver Island, so I think I can take credit for that. ;-)**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty-one

**JPOV**

Bella was practically bouncing with excitement as we packed for Victoria BC, a reaction I rarely saw from her, but enjoyed immensely. My mouth watered as I saw her slip in some silky and lacy things I'd never seen before. I was excited to get away with her for an entire week. I'd never been to Victoria and Bella had assured me that I would love it.

The only thing that was truly hampering my excitement was the trip there. We would drive our car onto the ferry, which went directly to Victoria. However, I had yet to tell Bella I was actually terrified of open water. It was a phobia I was often ashamed to admit, but there was something about floating on top of a glassy surface that could kill you should you happen into it, and God knows what's underneath… it terrified me. Needless to say, I was a dreadful swimmer. I involuntarily shivered.

"Baby, are you ready? We have to get there in 20 minutes," Bella said, zipping her suitcase closed with only a tiny bit of effort.

"Yeah," I said, and closed my case as well. "Got your passport?"

"Yep, you?" She flashed her blue documents at me, and I returned the gesture.

"Let's go!" she said excitedly, jumping up to give me a swift kiss, and dragged her suitcase down the stairs.

Five minutes later we were driving towards the ferry terminals. We were supposed to wait in a line of cars until we had permission to drive onboard. We could have just walked onboard and used public transportation but Bella wanted to see more of the island and it was just more convenient to use our own car. We took my car because Bella's truck was in no fit state to drive around in another country.

I ignored the wave of slight nausea that came not from the actual motion of the ferry but the very idea I was on a ferry at all. Bella tugged my hand as I locked the door and we headed up to the top of the ferry where all the seats and balconies were.

"C'mon, let's stand at the front of the boat before anyone else gets there!" she said and pulled on my arm. I hesitated. Her brow wrinkled when she realized I wasn't following her. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah…" I said reluctantly. I saw how happy she looked and I couldn't take that away from her just for my own stupid reasons.

I followed her out to the narrow balcony hit instantly with a wall of wind. The ferry had already pulled from the terminal and the icy grey water was breaking against the bow of the ferry, slashing white foam everywhere. The wind was strong enough that the water was full of white caps and I instantly had a panic attack. It was so cold and menacing looking.

"Jazz, baby, are you OK?" Bella's voice pulled me from my morbid thoughts, and the second my eyes met hers, I felt better. The wind was causing her long brown hair to whip around her face, making her look wild and sensual, and her cheeks were rosy from the wind for once, rather than her adorable blush.

"Yeah," I said breathlessly. "Now I am."

She looked puzzled but didn't question me any further as she turned to face the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. "It's going to sound silly," she shouted, to keep her voice from being carried away by the howling wind, "but every time I'm on a boat, I think of the Titanic. I'm flying!" My stomach turned with her words.

"Honey, can we NOT talk about sinking boats when we're ON one?"

She giggled. "Sorry baby. I just love the sensation of being on a boat. It's so freeing." I didn't mention to her that what made her carefree terrified me to my very soul. I merely hugged her from behind, holding on for dear life if I was totally honest, and nuzzled her neck. I felt her shiver.

"Are you cold?" I whispered in her ear.

"No," she managed and shivered again. "It feels really good when you do that."

"Do what? This?" I nuzzled my nose against her neck and then bit down gently.

"Uh, yeah," she answered distractedly, and shivered once again. It took me a minute to remind me that we were in a public place with families and home video cameras everywhere. I pulled back and simply kissed the top of her head.

We suddenly heard a shout from the starboard side of the boat and everyone started running to that side of the boat. A thrill of fear raced through me and Bella tore herself from my arms to see what the commotion was about.

"Jasper!" she called. "Orcas!"

Sure enough, a pod of orcas had emerged, their smooth black and white fins slicing through the frigid waters. Despite my utter terror, I couldn't help but admit they were graceful and powerful looking. Perhaps too powerful but I pushed those ridiculous thoughts out of my head. I leaned against Bella, watching the orcas blow great puffs of water and air into the foggy sky, and gasped along with the rest of the crowd as one slapped its giant fin against the choppy water. Bella had long since taken out her camera and was snapping photo after photo of the pod.

After several minutes the pod moved away from the ferry and the crowd dispersed. I managed to pull Bella inside the relative safety of the glassed in seating area and distracted her with a cup of rather rancid coffee. I was doing better on the ferry than I expected but I was still queasy and needed to get my mind off of the water at any cost. I felt like such a wimp. I had always lived near the water in one capacity or another, but it was one thing to live on the water's edge, and trust that some floating thing could get me out of the water in one piece.

Docking couldn't have come fast enough for me. I was dying to get back onto dry solid land and I finally got my wish after going through the long customs line. We were free and I felt myself instantly relax. Well, almost relax. Just one more thing to do… I was petrified.

**BPOV**

Jasper had been acting odd on the ferry, but I really didn't want to push him into telling me what was wrong. I didn't want to get our first vacation together off on the wrong foot, and I could tell it probably had nothing to do with me in any case, so I let it go.

We found our hotel, a cozy little bed and breakfast just a few blocks away from the waterfront. We settled in quickly and headed out to explore a bit.

I loved the feel of Victoria. I hadn't been here in many years but it still felt very comfortable and almost European. We wandered around the inner harbor, taking in the Empress Hotel, the legislative buildings, the Royal British Columbia Museum, and the other varying attractions that called to us. We decided we wouldn't go into anything today but get our bearings and have an early evening so we could be rested up for tomorrow.

We both knew we'd go to the museum first, being the inner geeks that we were. I couldn't wait, I hadn't been there in years, and I knew I'd appreciate it more now than ever.

It was just dusk when we sat down to dinner and I relished the sensation of having a romantic dinner with Jasper. Now that we lived together, we mostly stayed in, which we both loved, but it was nice to just go on a date to remind myself even more why I was in love with this amazing man.

The candlelight made his face look like a chiseled Greek god and I found it hard to breathe. Even though he was wearing his standard black T-shirt and button down plaid and jeans, I was still frozen in place with love and lust for this man. He caught me staring and gave me a cocky yet bewildered grin.

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head to break my daze. "You're just really sexy tonight."

His grin widened. "I could say the same to you, darlin'." My heart skipped a beat, and then made up for it by double-timing. I grinned back at him, looking up at him through my lashes. I knew that would get him, and his eyes instantly went to my mouth. _And there it is, _I thought to myself with a lot of self-satisfaction.

I rubbed my foot against his calf, and he playfully caught my leg between both of his, effectively ending my movements.

"You're playing with fire, missy, and we're in a public place," he said in a warning tone though his eyes were amused and dark.

"Eat your food," I told him and speared a fork full of salad. "The faster you eat…" He took the hint and took an enormous bite of his steak.

We finished dinner quickly and rushed back to our bed and breakfast. Since we walked, we retraced our steps and tried hard not to gawk at the beautifully lit windows of the nearby shops. Those could wait until tomorrow.

We made it back to the B&B and barely had shut the door behind us when Jasper was pushing me onto the soft feather bed and covering my body with his. I lost myself in his kiss which was seductive and powerful. I clung to him not wanting to ever let go of him. We slowly stripped, and instead of the frantic sex we had both expected, we made love slowly and desperately. We still had to be cautious of his surgical site, so when I kissed down his body, I tenderly kissed the area around it, making him moan.

We woke the next morning to the morning sun streaming in through the east facing windows. Jasper groaned unhappily when I shook him awake, and then rewarded me with a morning breath kiss. We kept it closed mouth, but neither of us kissed for long. After brushing our teeth, he kissed me deeply, and we got ready for the day.

**JPOV**

We hung out at the museums first, near the inner harbor. The Royal British Columbia Museum was amazing, and Bella and I geeked out for the entire morning. I loved that she was just as enthusiastic about history and culture as I was and wasn't ashamed of it. It made me fall for her even more as she drug me from exhibit to exhibit, reading the labels aloud and pointing out tiny details of the artifacts that I probably would have missed on my own.

After stopping for lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant, I tried to convince Bella to take a buggy ride with me, but she insisted it was far too cheesy.

"Sweetheart," she explained. "We are already sugary sweet as is. Add in a white carriage and horse, and we'll give everybody around us diabetes." She grinned wickedly, and suddenly I realized she was right. I smirked at her and we wandered down to the temporary stands of artists and merchants down by the water's edge.

Bella stopped to watch a bagpiper and a young girl dance and twirl to the music. Bagpipes aren't really that bad when you actually hear them, honestly. I don't know what the fuss about them was. Bella stood, transfixed, until the song ended and the young girl gave a quick bow.

"You know," she said with a glint in her eye, "you'd look really good in a kilt."

I raised my eyebrows. "Is that so?"

"Oh yeah. I really like you in plaid; I don't see why I wouldn't like a nice tartan." She giggled.

"And what shall I wear under the kilt?" I whispered into her ear.

"Absolutely nothing," she whispered back and she blushed furiously. I kissed her as passionately as I dared in a public place and followed her as she ran over to a caricaturist.

He drew her in a ballerina costume which made her burst into laughter. "I _hated _ballet when I was a kid! I was so klutzy, I _sucked! _But this is great," she added quickly to the artist. "It's your turn, Jasper," she said, pushing me into the chair she had just occupied. Despite my protests, she insisted, and I found myself facing the artist who quickly started studying and sketching my face.

Five minutes later, Bella was clutching at her sides giggling as the final picture was revealed: Me as a lumberjack.

"It's the shirt," she said, still laughing. I suppose she and the artist had a point. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest I pretty much lived in plaid flannel. I had never heard Bella complain though. She had always insisted I looked sexy in it, and damn, if it was comfortable and appealing to my girl, I wasn't about to change anything!

We wandered around the shops downtown, bypassing the expensive looking shops. Bella zeroed in on the tacky tourist shops that sell ugly snow globes, cheap looking knickknacks, and hideous T-shirts emblazoned with moose and Mounties.

"This place? Really Bella?"

"Hell yes! I adore tacky crap. It's too much fun!" she laughed. "Rose and I have a thing where whenever we travel together, we compete to find the tackiest and ugliest thing we can. I always win," she said proudly.

"I can already see six different things that would be a winner," I said, picking up a combination magnet and keychain, of a moose wearing a ski cap and scarf, Maple leaf printed on the hat.

"Huh uh, this is way better," she told me, picking up a teddy bear wearing a Maple leaf T-shirt with CANADA plastered on the back. "Reminds me of Emmett," she said offhandedly.

She picked up a few more hideously tacky souvenirs for her family and we headed out again. It was immensely enjoyable to simply hold her hand and point out things of interest. Things had been crazy lately with Edward, his equally horrible mother, and my surgery, so it was nice, better than nice, to just be with my girl.

After dinner we went to bed and watched terrible Canadian sitcoms. Bella was flipping through the channels when she stumbled across porn.

"Oh God!" she shrieked, turning the channel quickly. I grinned at her, amused.

"Baby, don't tell me you've never watched porn."

"Oh my God, NO! It's disgusting!"

"I don't see it that way. If anything, darlin', you should think of it as educational."

"Are you saying I don't know what I'm doing in bed? Because I haven't heard any complaints before," she said huffily.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I'm not saying that, baby, you're amazing. But c'mon, don't you think it might be sexy if we watched together?" I pretended to pout, and rubbed my hand along her inner thigh, trying to convince her. "Please?" I leaned in and bit her earlobe gently.

She loosened her grip on the remote allowing me to grab it from her and flick the channel back.

The couple on the screen were writhing around though hardly any body parts were showing.

"Honey, look, it's not hardcore. I highly doubt we're going to see any cum-shots or giant cocks flying about."

She slowly raised her head up to the TV and softened her expression when she saw I wasn't lying to her. I laid her back onto the soft pillows willing her to relax. "Keep your eyes on the TV," I told her, as I slowly kissed her neck and traced my fingers softly along her panty line, tugging them off and away from her body.

When I looked at her, her eyes were glossy with lust, but she kept her eyes steadily on the TV. The guy in the movie was sucking on the girl's nipples, and I did the same to Bella after I pulled off her nightshirt. She gasped, arching her back off the bed towards my mouth. "Jasper," she sighed. "That's nice."

"Nice? Only nice?"

"More than nice," she gasped as I sucked hard on her nipples.

The girl on the TV was shrieking in ecstasy as the man nibbled at her clit. Bella's eyes were dark when she could tell that was my next destination. "Are you still watching?" I asked as I darted my tongue into her belly button.

"Yes," she gasped and I felt her folds with my fingers. She was soaking, and I didn't know if it was from me, the porn, or both. I plunged one finger into her and she barked out my name roughly. I added another finger and pumped my hand slowly in and out of her. She and the girl on TV screamed at the same time as I crooked my finger inside her, but I knew the difference between my girl and the porn star was that Bella actually meant her whimpers. Or at least, I hoped she did.

Just as a precaution, I attacked her clit with my lips, teeth and tongue, adding a third finger into her core simultaneously. Her hands flew to my hair and gripped so tightly I was afraid she was going to yank out all of my hair.

I ignored the TV and kept up at my pace. Before I knew it, Bella was screaming my name and pulsing around my fingers. I lapped up all her juices and sat back up when she pushed my head away from her overly sensitive clit.

"Fuck, Jasper that was amazing." I loved how she only truly swore when I was doing sexual things to her.

She sat up, her hair in all different directions. She had a rosy blush all over her body and my already stiff cock gave a twitch. She kissed me roughly, tasting herself on my lips. I groaned in pleasure when she sucked on my tongue.

"Baby, I think it's your turn," she said huskily, kissing my jaw, down my neck, my lips again, then my nipples, my stomach, my hips…

She pushed me back onto the bed and I nearly cracked my head open on the headboard.

"Oh God, Jasper, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, jumping back up to my head to kiss me.

"Are you OK?"

"I'll be fine," I said, rubbing the back of my head, ignoring the few stray stars that appeared behind my eyelids. She kissed me once more and then moved back to her final destination.

I was ready for her sweet hot mouth. My cock gave another twitch in anticipation as her lips descended down slipping my head between her lips. I groaned softly. She was magnificent with her mouth.

She dipped her head lower over my dick, taking in as much of me as she could, and stroking her tiny hands over the rest that didn't fit. Her hands were just about as magic as her mouth, and I found myself close already. I didn't want to cum like a 16 year old boy, and I fought the sensations overwhelming me.

Bella bobbed her head up and down over me, moaning and swirling her tongue around the head. I tried very hard not to simply thrust up into her mouth. I wasn't about to gag my sweet girl for my own pleasure. She reached out to cup my balls and I couldn't help but let out an embarrassingly loud moan.

She kept up her ministrations before I was on the edge. "Bella… honey… I'm gonna… I'm gonna…" and then I was cumming into her hot little mouth. She swallowed me down and released my now-limp cock from her lips with a 'pop'. She licked her lips, moaning softly, and I swore I could have cum again.

She kissed me soundly and our flavors mixed together. My heart was still thudding out of control.

She glanced at the TV once more. The guy was balls deep in the girl, in the reverse cowgirl position. She looked at me expectantly and I was shocked and amazed to see her fingering herself and biting her bottom lip.

"Give me a minute, honey," I told her. "Then we'll show up these amateurs."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I don't have the next chapter written, or even imagined yet, as I'm working 12 hour shifts with no spare time, but I'll have a day off on Sunday, and hopefully I'll be able to work on it. In any case, I wanted to get this up for everyone to enjoy, mainly because I love hearing from you guys. :-) We hit 300 reviews last chapter, and for that I just say THANK YOU!!!!! You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for all your support and reviews, I love knowing what you think. Thanks as always to EmmaleeWrites05 for giving this the once over for me. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Still.**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty-two

**BPOV**

The next morning, I woke up slightly sore and very well loved. Jasper was spooning me from behind and I could feel his morning wood against my ass. Despite the dull ache between my thighs, the pleasurable ache for him was as acute as ever, and I needed to feel him inside me again.

I shifted in his arms, and kissed my way up to his mouth, starting at his elbow, adoring his well muscled arms, his broad chest, his collarbone, his Adam's apple, his jaw, his perfect mouth. He stirred and unleashed the unholy scent of morning breath straight into my nostrils.

"Jasper, sweetie, where are your mints?" I asked desperately, and he chuckled sleepily, reaching for the nightstand next to him. He popped one into my mouth, and then into his, and moments later we were tangled in a passionate kiss.

"Mmm, morning kisses. Taste like Altoids," I joked.

"Actually, these are called Frisks. Picked them up in the store yesterday."

"Well, I do have to say I'm feeling rather _frisky _myself this morning," I told him, and winked. Seconds later I was being rolled onto my back, his erection pressing hard against my stomach. _Excellent wakeup call, _I thought to myself.

**JPOV**

Bella and I wandered out of our B&B mid-morning. She was very excited to see Chinatown and I followed her lead. The giant, intricate gate greeted us, and Bella snapped a few pictures of me by it, despite my protests. "Shut up and stand by that lion. And look sexy," she added. I smirked at her, and she snapped a photo. "Perfect!" she said, smiling.

We walked through the varying shops, and through tight alleyways that had been there for generations. Through one particular alley, we saw an entrance to an opium den, much to Bella's delight. She never failed to amaze me.

We had lunch in a nearby restaurant, sampling traditional Chinese food, far different from the Lo Mein and broccoli chicken we were used to.

Afterwards, Bella searched for, and found, more tacky souvenirs for herself and our friends and families.

She was rifling through a rack of T-shirts labeled "3 for $5", which should have been an indication right away of the quality of crap she was considering.

"Which one do you like better?" she asked seriously, holding up one that said "CANADA, EH?" underneath the flag, and one with a beaver crossed by two rifles, obviously with the ubiquitous maple leaf, that read "Beaver Hunter."

I burst into laughter. "Seriously? Are you kidding me? They're hideous!"

She frowned slightly. "Fine," she said briskly and I instantly knew I was in trouble.

"Darlin', you don't honestly expect me to want one of those, do you? Do you honestly look at it and think, 'Wow, that is totally Jasper!'?"

"I just thought you might look cute in them. It doesn't matter," she said briskly, and carefully placed them back on the rack, turned on her heel, and marched out of the shop.

I caught up to her, and grabbed her hand, but she wasn't carefree anymore. I was confused. I hadn't realized how deep this 'tacky crap' thing she had went. I knew most of her nightshirts (when she had cause to wear them) were goofy, ridiculous T-shirts that were practically dresses on her. I knew she had a tiny shelf on her side of the closet that kept small trinkets that looked like a klepto went to the state fair, but I had no idea what they really meant to her. I was an ass.

"Bella, love, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize…"

She stopped dead in her tracks unexpectedly and I kept walking for a moment until I was jerked back to her. I was glad this was a pedestrian only street.

She sighed heavily. "Jasper, it's OK. I know I have a weird thing. I know other people don't get it. It's really fine. I overreacted."

I led her to a bench and wrapped her in my arms. It had started to drizzle but neither of us paid any mind. Rain, though still unpleasant to me, barely registered anymore. "Why does it mean so much to you?"

She sighed again, and kicked at a small pebble near her foot.

"When Charlie was so sick, it was really hard to make him smile. He was never happy. I mean never. He was always depressed. The chemo took a lot out of him.

"We'd moved back to Forks, and a few weeks after, my class had a field trip to Seattle. I really wanted to cheer Charlie up. I got him a Mariners T-shirt, obviously, and then one day when we went to Pike Place Market, I found this snow globe that had the famous pig inside it. It cracked me up and I hoped he'd like it, too.

"When I brought it home to him, he smiled the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face for a long time. Rose and I sort of picked it up afterwards, finding tacky crap on vacations and stuff, but Charlie was the original real reason for it."

"So that's why it means so much to you," I said stupidly. She nodded.

"OK, let's go. Do you worst," I told her, leading her back to the shop.

"No, Jasper, it's really OK. I don't want to make you…"

"Bella, honey, please. If it's important to you, it's important to me."

She bit her lip to conceal a grin but did so very poorly. "Thank you, Jasper!" she said, and threw herself into my arms, hugging me tightly. _The things I'll do for this girl…_

Bella rushed back to the clothes rack and immediately began rummaging through it again.

"This one!" she said triumphantly after a few moments. I was almost afraid to look. 'Kiss Me, I'm Canadian,' it proudly stated. Of course, it had a maple leaf, too.

"That's not so bad, Bella. I was half expecting this one," I said, gesturing towards one that featured a Mountie and a Moose playing hockey together. "But, I'm not Canadian," I added, stating the obvious.

"So what?! It gives me another good reason to kiss you and I can't complain about that," she said, blushing slightly.

"You don't need another reason, my love. I'll give you plenty of reasons."

I gathered her up in my arms, and kissed her neck, feeling her skin heat under my touch.

"Jasper! Knock it off! We're in public!"

"Why do we always have to be in public?" I asked petulantly.

**BPOV**

We took a slow walk at the inner harbor at dusk. It was drizzling lightly, so not many other people were around.

"What should we do tomorrow?" I asked.

"Well… I was thinking we might just take a tour of the hotel tomorrow."

"Jazz, it has like three bedrooms, only one of which we're allowed in… Ohhhh," I said in sudden realization. "I like your thinking, Mister."

He gave me a half grin that was closer to a smirk, which made my poor heart stutter.

"C'mon, let's get out of the rain, my love," he said and we started back towards the B&B.

We spent the rest of the evening watching horrible late night Canadian TV, most of which was so bad we couldn't help but laugh hysterically at. Jasper graciously wore the T-shirt I'd gotten him, which earned him many kisses which lead to a magnificent make out session until we both fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next day… Let's just say the boy wore me out. I don't know how it was possible. We defied all odds. The sheer volume of sex… It defied logic and medical fact. Not that I was complaining. Hardly. Well, my lady parts may have been protesting by evening, but the rest of me was completely content. I would never stop needing Jasper. Plus, the fact that he wore his glasses all day, and nothing else, per my request… No wonder I couldn't keep my hands off him.

We tore ourselves away from the bed the next day, needing to be in a room that didn't smell of sex and Jasper's cologne, and set off to visit Craigderroch Castle. I was happy that I had a boyfriend who actually appreciated the history and beauty of the place. He may have been lying through his teeth about actually liking it but I loved him for lying for me.

Afterwards, as we got back to the city center, I saw the boat. There are ads for whale watching all over Victoria, especially near the inner harbor, and it was something I'd always wanted to do. It was raining but I didn't see why that had to stop us from going. We were both used to rain and if he wasn't by now, he'd never be.

"Jazz, let's go on the whale watching boat!" I said enthusiastically, pulling his hand.

He stopped dead in his tracks and his face lost all its color. "Do… we really want to do that?" he asked weakly.

"Don't you?"

"Uh… that wouldn't be my first choice, no." He was trying to be diplomatic but I knew something was up. He acted weird on the ferry, too.

"Jasper, are you OK? And don't lie to me."

He took a huge gulp of air and ran his hands through his hair. "BellaIreallyhatewater," he said in a rush.

"Come again?"

He sighed. "I really hate water. Being on it, I mean."

"What?!"

"Yeah… it's sort of my biggest irrational fear. It terrifies me. Water… it's so unpredictable. And what's _in _the water… Even worse." He visibly shuddered.

"Oh my God, Jasper, I had no idea! And here I dragged you on a ferry… and we have to go on it to get back…"

"Don't remind me," he said, looking green at the very idea.

I wrapped my arms around him, trying to comfort him. "OK, we won't go on the tour. Besides, we saw that pod of orcas on the ferry. We've had our fill."

He shot me a grateful smile and kissed the top of my head. "Wanna go for a drive? I hear the north is beautiful."

"Sure!" I agreed. An hour later, we had left Victoria far behind us, and I was staring out the window at the vast forests around me. I know I was from Forks, and trees weren't exactly rare, but it felt different up here. More wild. More untamed. More vast.

"Damn, I hate driving in kilometers!" Jasper said from the driver's seat. His hands were clutched tightly around the steering wheel, his brow concentrating hard on the road.

"The numbers are right there under the miles," I told him.

"I know that," he snapped.

_Note to self; do not try to assist Jasper when he's driving._

I ignored his attitude and flipped the radio on. By the time we got to Duncan, his mood was slightly improved, and pulled over without me even asking, so I could take a snapshot of the world's largest hockey stick and puck.

It was raining far too hard to take the totem pole tour, for which the town is famous, so we ducked into a few gift shops and I found some more trinkets that cracked me up, my favorite being the miniature key chain of the tallest totem in town. I was glad Jasper was more understanding about my obsession, though I did hear him make jabs under his breath about my taste. I merely stuck my tongue out at him, and continued browsing.

We caught a bite to eat in town and headed back to Victoria. For some reason, though I suspected it had a lot to do with the day before, I was exhausted. When we got back, Jasper and I barely even kissed goodnight before we had passed out on the bed, my small body spooning his tall one.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in forever!!! Blame my boss and 13+ hour shifts at work!!! Pure mental and physical exhaustion. But I'm DONE now, and I can write again, so yay!!! I'll be honest, I also had a really hard time coming up with the next chapter of this story. I started writing this nearly 2 weeks ago, and simply couldn't find my muse. Oddly enough, inspiration came from listening to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" while driving through Eugene. When you read this, you'll say, "What does that song have to do anything??!!" and I'll just nod and say, "I know, it's weird." :-P This hasn't been beta-d, so if there are any mistakes you can fully blame me. Haha. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jasper in a pair of reading glasses. Damn. But believe me, they'd look better than the glasses Jackson wore for the Teen Choice Awards. WTF??!! **

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty-three

**JPOV**

We spent the next few days exploring the nooks and crannies of Victoria, venturing to the west side of the island one unusually warm afternoon.

Victoria BC was growing on me, and I enjoyed it very much, but I was happy to be going home. I had something to do… I hadn't found the right moment here.

Bella was also anxious to get home. She had received a call on her cell phone when we were having tea in the Empress Hotel, per Bella's request, that her book had been picked up by a publishing company. She hadn't even told me she had submitted it; I suppose she was nervous and didn't want to jinx herself.

That same night she had practically jumped me and we had hot, amazing celebratory sex.

I was trying to keep that night in mind when we drove onto the ferry. _Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, _was my mantra. Bella, now aware of my petrifying fear, held my hand the entire time and kissed me whenever she felt me tense up again.

We made it back to Port Angeles in one piece, and I practically kissed the ground as we stepped onto firm land. We drove home, stopping by Gramps and Charlotte's house to give our souvenirs. Bella had chosen for Gramps a T-shirt that read "Canada Looks Better Every Day", knowing his affection for our neighbors to the north, and for Charlotte, a pair of silver earrings shaped like orcas.

It felt good to step into our own home again. It felt right. I knew I'd want to come back to this place over and over again, if Bella were by my side. But I had to know something.

"Hey, Bella," I said casually, entering our bedroom, trying to sound nonchalant as I threw a question at her from out of nowhere. "What do you think about kids?"

Her head, which had been half-buried in her suitcase, popped up with a look of bewilderment and confusion.

"Uh… they're… OK. I mean… I haven't spent much time with them. But I'm sure they're just fine."

"But do you ever want any?"

She looked like she was having difficulty breathing. "Jasper, I'm on the pill, it's OK, I don't think we're going to-"

"That's not why I asked," I said quickly, trying to backtrack. "I just wanted to know if that's something you'd like someday. If that's what you want."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'd never really thought about it before. But, I mean, it would depend on a lot. On what… my husband… thought. What… he'd… want, too. If we were ready." I could tell she was choosing her words carefully.

"OK. Good to know. I was just wondering…" I smiled at her to reassure her I hadn't just gone crazy. She smiled too, though it looked a little strained. I hoped I hadn't just terrified her.

**BPOV**

Honestly, I'd never really given much thought to children. From what I could tell, they were messy, noisy, and hard to control. Those were the same reasons why I'd never had a pet.

I wasn't exactly the maternal sort. Babies were cute, but they didn't make me want to coo and make funny faces. My uterus never leapt when I smelled the top of a baby's head. I never ached to be pregnant.

I just didn't see myself as a mother.

Until now.

Jasper's question had staggered me. Where had that come from? Why did he bring the topic up now of all times?

A baby. Jasper's baby. My baby. Our baby. I couldn't deny that the idea of something partly made up of him, and partly of me was beautiful. If Jasper were that man… Yes. He was. I already knew that.

I hoped he hadn't meant "Let's get pregnant tonight." I wasn't ready for that, not by any stretch of the imagination. We were still young. He had his teaching, me my book. I wasn't going to give up that dream of writing and being published just so I could have a baby on my hip like some fifties housewife.

But someday… yes.

This was all moving so fast. I couldn't comprehend it in my mind. Six months ago, I didn't know Jasper Whitlock even existed. Now, we were living together, thinking of a future together, presumably, and talking about babies. I knew I should have been afraid. Alarm bells should have been going off in my mind. _Danger, too fast, too soon, too much. Proceed with caution. _But that feeling never came. I waited and waited, but nothing.

I felt nothing but happiness and hopefulness and a sudden desire to drive a sensible mini-van. Oh my GOD, the last thing I needed to be at 22 was a soccer mom. Must. Rewind. Thoughts.

I was going to talk to him. I had to. I had to know if we were on the same page or not. Was he just curious about my biological clock, or did his question have purpose?

I finished unpacking slowly, taking the time to consider everything. My heart was beating crazily. Was I going to tell him we should be parents someday? That that's what I wanted? And what did _he_ want?

I found him downstairs, thumbing through the mail from the past week. He was wearing his reading glasses, and I nearly melted.

"Hey darlin'," he said, still looking at each envelope and tossing the mail into two pile, his and mine. "All unpacked?"

"Yup," I said. My hands were twisting together, and I knew I was giving off a nervous vibe, because he looked up with a cautious look on his face.

"Are you OK, Bella? You look… sweaty."

A burst of laughter escaped my lips, but it sounded desperate and keening in my own ears. I took a step forward, and looked him square in his baby blue eyes.

"Jasper, why did you ask me about kids?"

He smiled. "I just wanted to know if we're on the same page, my love. I…" He paused, setting down the mail, and gestured to the couch. We sat together, and he took my hands into his. "I see us together, Bella. For a long, long time. I'm not going to use the word 'forever'… but pretty much, yeah. Forever. You're the One."

My heart missed a few beats, and then came back with a running vengeance.

"I feel the same way, Jasper," I said. He looked at me with an expression of pure happiness, and I nearly burst into tears with the joy in his face.

"I love you, Bella. And someday, I want us to be more than just you and me. I can't help it, I'd love to be a daddy. I see my future with you."

"I do, too," I said softly. "I want that, too. Just not yet. Not soon. But someday."

"I don't want kids now, either. I like it the way it is right now. Just you and me. I want to keep you to myself for awhile, I'm a selfish man," he said with a laugh. "I just wanted to make sure we saw eye to eye on this."

"I think we do," I said, and ran my fingers through his hair so I could pull him in close for a kiss.

The next second, I heard a frantic, rapid knock on our door. We jumped apart in surprise, my heart hammering from our discussion, the kiss, and the interruption.

He jumped up to answer the door, and Rosalie burst through the unlocked door, pushing past a surprised Jasper.

"Bella! I had to see you, I-" Rosalie's voice wavered and she burst into tears, collapsing onto the couch next to me, burying her face in my lap.

I had held up my hands in surprise, and they immediately went to her shoulders, to soothe her. I looked at Jasper desperately, and he looked just as bewildered as I felt.

"Rose?" I asked timidly. "What's wrong?"

This did nothing but to set her off into another round of fresh tears, her entire body wracked with sobs. My lap was growing wet with Rose's tears. I decided to keep my mouth shut until she was ready to tell me.

Jasper looked extremely uncomfortable, and I waved him upstairs. He looked profoundly relieved. Jasper was very open with his emotions, and when someone felt pain, he felt it, too.

Rose's tears were subsiding, though her body was still vibrating with sobs. She looked up at me, her mascara running down her face, her eyes bloodshot, snot dripping down her nose, which she wiped off with the back of her sleeve. Something was very, very wrong.

"Rose?"

"It's over," she said simply, and then her face wrenched into an expression of sorrow and pain I'd never seen before, on her or anyone else.

"What's over?"

"Me and Em… Em… Emmett," she wailed, and I gasped in shock. It was then that I noticed her left hand was bare.

"What happened?"

"He doesn't want babies. He just wants him and me, he doesn't want a family. I have to have those things, Bella. I have to. It's essential. And now I'm going to die alone…"

She burst into another round of tears, and the guilt I felt seared through me. A half an hour ago, Jasper and I had both declared our desire for a family someday, and my best friend was heartbroken for the opposite reason.

A tear of my own slid down my cheek, and I stroked her hair as she heaved with sobs. Her tears brought on my own, and we sat and cried together for awhile.

A few hours later, Rose had settled into a pair of my yoga pants and one of Jasper's sweatshirts, and was laying on the couch, staring at the wall. She kept staring at her hand, as if she expected the ring to magically appear there.

It was utterly heartbreaking.

I stood with Jasper in the kitchen, making a small dinner that she would hopefully eat, though I knew the chances were slim.

I felt like hell.

"I've never felt so guilty," I said quietly. "She's suffering so bad, and we…"

"Don't. Bella, that is between her and Emmett. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Do you also want Tanya to feel guilty because she's pregnant? You have nothing to feel guilty about, my love."

I sighed. "I know. It's just the timing. Damn."

"I know. But you're being a wonderful friend, and that's what she needs right now. She and Emmett will work this through, I know it."

"What are you, psychic?"

He laughed. "Not at all. I just have a _feeling."_

Seconds later, there was a knock on the door for the second time that day. I knew in that instant it was Emmett.

"Rose, baby, let me in! I have to talk to you," he begged through the door, pounding on it with what sounded like two fists. I had never heard his voice sound so broken before.

Jasper opened the door silently, and let Emmett past him. I was shocked to see Emmett's face covered in tears. My cousin _never _cried. Ever.

Rose stiffened on the couch, but didn't look at Emmett. She was crying again. I couldn't believe she had enough moisture in her body to cry any more.

I felt Jasper's hand wrap around my wrist, pulling me up the stairs as I watched Emmett approach the couch, trying to gather a reluctant and unwilling Rosalie into his arms.

Jasper and I settled into bed, fully clothed, and turned on a movie to distract ourselves from the scene downstairs. My mind kept going back to them, and I was dying to know what was happening, if they would make up or if this would truly be the end.

Rose and Emmett had been together since high school, and had liked each other for even longer. It was hard to picture them not together. I just couldn't believe they hadn't talked about kids yet. Everyone and their mother's dog knew that Rose was baby crazy. How could Emmett have been so blind to it?

Jasper tightened his arms around me as we heard shouts coming from downstairs. Whatever it was about, Rose was pissed, and Emmett wasn't having any of it.

"Let them get it out," Jasper whispered. His breath tickled my ear, and despite myself and the situation, I shivered.

We both pretended to be into the movie, and popped in another when it was over and it was still clear Emmett and Rose needed more time. I sincerely wished we had eaten before we'd let Emmett in. I was starving, and my stomach growled embarrassingly, breaking some of the tension between Jasper and I as we laughed about it.

I still felt severely guilty. I already had assurance that Jasper and I wanted the same thing. What would happen if Rose and Emmett broke up, and Jazz and I had kids? With Tanya already pregnant, I could just imagine a bitter Rose at the baby shower, and I wasn't looking forward to it.

They simply had to resolve this.

Eventually, Jasper and I fell asleep, and I dreamed fitfully that I had a baby and Rose tried to steal it.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than normal, and let Jasper sleep. He had work in a few short hours, and I was afraid of waking the beast. Jasper was not a morning person.

I went quietly down the stairs, just in case Rose was still on our couch.

She was, sleeping on top of Emmett. His arms were holding her tightly, and she was wrapped around him just as closely. Their expressions were peaceful, and I just prayed to God it meant they were OK. My prayers were quickly answered when I noticed her engagement ring encircling her finger, where it was meant to be all along.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I had a headache the whole time I wrote this, so I hope it's not too terrible! It hasn't been beta-d, because sadly, my beta's computer got broken, so once again, if there are mistakes, blame me! Enjoy! I'd love to know what you think, so please review if you're so inclined.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do have a sexy half-naked picture of Kellan as my phone's wallpaper, and I enjoy it a great deal. :-D**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty-four

**JPOV**

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Emmett and Rosalie resolved their argument. The wedding was back on, in full force. I wasn't sure how they'd resolved their disagreement about having a family or not, but I was sure that it had gone in Rose's favor, or they wouldn't be together. She was absolute in her desire to have a family.

Besides, I had a feeling that Emmett was going to be an awesome dad. He was too much of a big kid himself to hate kids, and I got the impression that he would be getting into as much trouble with Rose on a regular basis as a toddler would.

Bella was extra busy with wedding planning at Rose's bidding. She went with Rosalie to make sure the wedding menu was perfect, to help with the reception's play list, to final dress fittings and cake planning.

I was amused to see Emmett just sit back and let it happen. I'd definitely have to take his path of action when Bella and I got married.

The thought made my heart pound. I wanted her to be my wife now, this very second.

One late afternoon in mid-May, Bella came home not too long after me. I was gathering food together for an early dinner, and she entered the kitchen fully loaded with shopping bags. She looked extremely harried and annoyed.

She blew an errant strand of hair out of her face, and smiled at me.

"I love seeing you in the kitchen, cooking for me like a nice little boy," she teased, and walked behind me to slap me on the ass.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked, smiling.

"Ugh, an entire day of shopping for outfits for Rose's bachelorette party. I just love coming home to my man, plus, I'm starving, and you're half-way there to making that a non-issue."

"Bachelorette party? Should I be concerned?"

"Not at all," she assured me. "We're just going to go out, drink a little, dance a lot, and then I'm going to come home and make sweet, sweet love to you." She winked.

"Sounds like a good plan," I said, hugging her so that her feet were lifted off the ground. "What are you going to wear?"

She groaned. "The 'slave driver' insists I wear _this." _She lifted a tiny, black dress out of one of the bags.

Even without seeing it on her, I could tell it was revealing, tight, and sexy as hell. My libido, as well as my potential for jealousy, went through the roof.

"This?" I asked weakly, imagining her wearing the tiny scrap of fabric, and trying to picture what she'd wear under it… if anything. I gulped. "You'd go in public in _this? _In clubs… with men…?" I trailed off pathetically.

"Why Jasper Whitlock, are you… jealous?"

"Hell yes I am. Drunk idiots are going to see you in this."

"And _see _only. Jasper, you're the only one for me, you know that. They can look all they want, but they can't touch… that privilege remains with you and you alone."

I growled low in my throat.

"Did you just _growl?" _she asked incredulously, eyes wide.

"Uh… no?"

She stepped towards me, and the look in her eyes made me want to take a step back. She bit her lip and had an evil glint in her eye. She took another step forward, and I stepped back. This carried on until I was backed right against the kitchen counter and she molded her body to mine.

"Jasper," she purred seductively. "You know how I hate possessive men." Her voice was husky, yet maintained a sing-song tone.

"Yeah, I know," I mumbled. She was playing with the buttons on my shirt, teasing me. She kissed my throat once, then twice.

"You have nothing to worry about, my love. These hands?" She picked mine up to demonstrate. "These are the only hands that get to touch me."

She moved my hands so that they were firmly placed against her ass. I pulled our hips closer together.

"These lips? These are the _only _lips that kiss me. _Anywhere."_ She leaned forward to kiss me, deeply.

"And this cock?" She grasped me firmly through my pants, making me groan in pleasure and need. "This is the _only _cock that gets to make me cum. The _only _one that gets anywhere near me."

She stroked me through my pants, and I fought for control… of my body, of the situation… anything.

I was on fire. I had never felt… well… possessed by someone before in my life, but Bella owned me, and I think she knew it. And I was sure she knew how much I loved it.

I dipped my head to kiss her again, and she met my kiss willingly.

She gasped in surprise as I whirled us around and pinned her against the counter.

"These lips… I hope they need mine as much as I need theirs. These breasts… I hope my hands are the only ones that have the privilege of worshipping them. This heart… I hope it only ever loves me. This…" I cupped her mound gently. "I hope I'm the only man who ever gets to make love to you. " My fingers brushed against her clit, and she moaned.

"Jasper… I love you. I'm all yours, and you know it. Now kiss me." Bella's eyes were hazy and swimming with love and lust. I was sure my eyes reflected the same in them.

I kissed her with everything I had, trying to tell her everything I wanted to but couldn't express in words.

I carried her off into the bedroom, and we possessed each other.

**BPOV**

I adjusted the dress once more, to make sure it wouldn't slide down and give the world a peep show. I absolutely hated strapless dresses, and I hated the fact that Rose and Tanya could so easily sway me into things I didn't want to do.

I heard a car blast its horn outside, and knew Rose and Tanya were outside, waiting for me. Rose had decided Port Angeles was more "happening" than Forks, so we were having Rose's bachelorette party in town. I was happy about that. More time to put off getting ready.

But the time was now, and I had to get going. I checked my makeup in the mirror, tried very hard not to twist my ankles in the low kitten heels, and grabbed my coat and purse off the bed.

Jasper was waiting for me by the door. His eyes glazed over when he took in my appearance.

"That dress is hideous," he declared. "I demand that you go upstairs and put on something less… you know…" I loved it when he stammered. He was too adorable.

I gave a small twirl, and he gave a low wolf whistle.

"I have to go," I whined. "I'll be home to you as soon as possible, my love. I want you so bad."

He groaned. "Don't tell me that! You tell me you want me, and then skip off?!"

I kissed him to reassure him that I loved him here and now, and that I'd be back to him soon.

Rosalie leaned on the horn again, and we broke apart.

"I gotta go," I said, shrugging on my coat. "I love you, Jasper."

"I love you, too, baby. Come home soon. I'm going to be bored with my books."

"Whatever, you won't even notice I'm gone," I laughed.

"You're probably right," he said, and winked. I nearly swooned.

With a dozen tiny kisses, I flew out the door, waving goodbye. Jasper waved, and made sure I got into the car safely. He was too cute.

"Guess what?!" Rosalie squealed as soon as I slid into the back seat. "I'm getting married in two days!"

I laughed. "Really? Wow, I hope my schedule is clear then. I'd like to be able to come."

"Don't even joke about it, Bella, I need you! I can't believe it's finally happening." I could see her dreamy look in the rearview mirror, and then she was throwing the car into reverse and pulling into the dark street. "Now, we're going to drink, we're going to dance, and we're going to celebrate being three single women for the last time. Well… I mean… three unmarried women," she said with a wink.

"What do you mean?" I asked, surprised. "I thought you wanted a party."

"I do, but I only want to have it with my two best girls. Anyone else would be too time consuming."

Tanya and I winked at each other. "By the way, I'm DD later, bitches, so if you'd be so kind as to not drink so much you vom, that'd be great." Tanya hugged her now-swollen belly to make her point across.

"We'll be good, Tanya, I promise," I said.

Rosalie pulled us into a bar I'd never been to before. It had a neon light on out front that was so burnt out and flickering, I couldn't quite make out the name. It honestly looked like a dive, but Rose was eager to usher us inside.

The bar wasn't smoky, for which Tanya was grateful, and we were able to quickly order a pitcher of margaritas (virgin for Tanya), and found a table close to the edges of a stage.

I instantly got nervous, taking in the scene. Firstly, there were no men. That should have been my first hint. The room was very clean, and didn't stink of liquor or cigarettes. The carpets were a plush, thick red, and looked well kept.

I took a look over at the bar, and paid attention to the bartender for the first time.

It was a shirtless man wearing nothing but tuxedo pants and a smile.

"ROSE! What in the hell are we doing in a strip club?!"

"Calm down, and keep your voice down!" she hissed. "We're in a MALE strip club, and DON'T you DARE ruin this for me. Tonight, I want to see sexy, muscle bound men dance for me."

"As if she doesn't already get that enough from Emmett as is," Tanya whispered conspiratorially to me.

"Eww, Tanya, that's my cousin we're talking about!" I exclaimed, and tried to banish the idea of Emmett dancing around in a G-string for my best friend out of my head. I groaned.

"Aww, Bella, grow up. Have some fun. Here." Rose thrust a margarita in my hand. "Drink. All of it. Now. You have an hour to lose your sense of propriety."

I glared at her as I drank it down.

An hour later, glaring was the last thing on my mind. My face seemed to be stuck at a permanent grin, as "It's Raining Men" blared over the speakers, and three scantily clad men gyrated across the stage.

"Mmm, look at that guy," I gushed, as a man with sandy blonde hair and six-pack abs suddenly ripped off his pants, revealing his bulge in a leopard print thong. "He has a BIG cock. Not at big as Jasper, though. I really love Jasper's cock. And I'm really glad he wouldn't wear a leopard print Speedo."

Rose and Tanya burst into laughter. Rose had drank a lot less than I had, and Tanya, none at all, and somehow I was able to know that they were enjoying me more than the dancers.

"You gonna tell us more about you and Jasper now, huh?" Tanya said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Nahhh, you guys don't need to know about how gooooooood he gives it to me. So good, so good." I smiled happily.

"Oh, but we DO need to know, Bella. Or else I'm going to start talking about me and Emmett, and how he really loves it when I…"

"NO! Nonononono!!!" I exclaimed, reaching over the table to cover her mouth with my hand. The movement made me dizzy.

"Alright then, how good is it? Tell us everything."

I thought for a moment. "Sometimes, it feels like all he has to do is look me in the eyes, and I'll orgasm. He has such pretty eyes," I added dreamily.

"I don't care about his _eyes, _Bella. What about his hands? His tongue, his dick?"

I furrowed my brow. "Those are _mine. _I'm not going to tell you how amazing he is with all of them. He's mine, all mine…"

"We figured as much," Tanya said, chuckling to herself. Rose had lost interest in my lack of details, and I was getting sleepy.

"I need more dollar bills," Rose announced, and went to the bar to change them with a twenty.

The next thing I remembered, I was being lifted… I was floating…

"Thanks for bringing her home in one piece," I heard, and I knew that deep, sexy voice anywhere.

"Jasper?"

"Yeah, darlin', I'm here."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my eyes still tightly shut. "I'm going to make love to you tonight, my baby. Allllllll night long. All of it. Sex."

"Oh my God, what did you let her drink?!" He sounded more amused than angry.

Tanya sounded sheepish. "She was a little nervous to be at the… venue… so she kind of drank a lot to relax. I'm really sorry, Jasper. We tried to keep it under control."

"I saw a really big cock, Jasper, but don't worry, yours is bigger."

Even in my drunken state, I could feel him tense.

"What?" he asked in a low, even voice. NOW he sounded angry.

"Jasper, please. Don't worry. Rose dragged us to a strip club, and there were male dancers in G-strings, but Bella just kept talking about you. She barely even watched them, please believe me. That's why she drank so much, she didn't really want to be there. She didn't see… the full monty, if that's what you're worried about."

He relaxed slightly, and laughed for a moment. "Leave it to Rose."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I have to get her home. She's not as far gone as Bella, but she's pretty well hammered. Bella might not have touched, but Rose was the one with the dollar bills."

Jasper laughed, and I heard him tell Tanya goodnight, and then he carried me into the house, carried me up the stairs, and laid me on our bed.

"Jasper, are you taking off all my clothes? Are we going to have sex now?"

He chuckled. "Not tonight, my love. I'm going to help you go to bed."

"Oh, OK." I settled deeper into the pillows as I felt him tug off my shoes, falling asleep in an instant.

**JPOV**

I decided to let it go. I could feel Tanya was being honest, and I knew I could trust Bella.

Besides, weren't all bachelorette parties something like that?

Bella murmured something in her sleep. She looked positively angelic, despite being drunk out of her mind. I had never seen her like that, and I had to admit she was pretty cute all liquored up. The things that came out of her mouth…

I helped her out of her clothes, and she snuggled into the covers. I grabbed a T-shirt, and managed to wrestle her into it.

"Mmm, Jasper," she moaned.

"Yes, baby?"

"Stay," she whispered, and held out her arms to me. I slipped into the covers with her, and pulled her small body to mine. She snuggled into my chest, and sighed contentedly.

I fell asleep soon after her.

I woke up the next morning to hearing Bella moaning, and not in a good way.

"Shit," she groaned, clutching at her head.

"You OK, sweetheart?"

"No," she moaned, and collapsed back on the bed.

"Too many huge cocks last night?" I teased, and her eyes snapped open.

"Shit, what did I SAY last night?"

"Something about how my cock is bigger than anyone else's in the world," I said, grinning.

"Did I go to a…. strip… club last night?"

"So I hear."

She buried her face in her hands, and groaned.

"I need to go back to sleep."

"And then later, I think we need to talk about how I'm the biggest and best."

"You already know that and I already know that," she said.

"Well then we'll needed to get started on all that sex we missed out on last night."

"After my head stops ringing," she moaned into her pillow.

"That can be arranged," I said, and tucked her back into my arms.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: We're winding down in our little story here... just a few more chapters left in my arsenal. I'm sorry if I couldn't respond to your reviews there for awhile, FF was being a bitch!!! I'm so glad that my wonderful beta, EmmaleeWrites05 was able to get her computer up and running again, not just because she beta-d this for me, but because she's an awesome writer and I can't wait to see more updates from her soon!!! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I still can't figure out why I'm marrying off Emmett, though. ;-)**

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty-five

**JPOV**

I awoke to the sounds of crashing and a slight moan. My eyes snapped open and, thanks to the blinding sun gleaming in through the window, squinted in pain. "Bella?!"

She moaned again. "I'm OK."

"What the hell happened?" I asked groggily, getting up and walked towards the sound of her voice.

"Oh, I was trying to reach that box of shoes up there, and stuff just fell…"

She looked quite helpless at that moment, her hair in her eyes, and a dozen or so boxes and countless papers at her feet. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered. "I don't even WANT to wear these stupid shoes… I'm going to fall or kill myself or something. Damn Rose…"

It was Rose's wedding day and already I could feel Bella's tension skyrocketing.

"Baby, calm down. It's OK. You will do just fine and the day is going to be wonderful. Just be there for your best friend and cousin and you can't go wrong."

She smiled at me and gave me a soft kiss before wrinkling her nose. "Morning breath. Go brush your teeth." She slapped me playfully on the butt before I walked away towards the bathroom.

After I had showered and dressed (and brushed my teeth), I wandered downstairs to find Bella staring blankly at her piece of toast.

"Bella?"

She startled and her eyes came back into focus. She gave me a weak smile and then took a bite of what I was sure was cold toast.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, just thinking," she said, though her tone held more.

"About?" I ventured cautiously.

"Rose and Emmett. How they're getting married. How they're going to be a family. How they're going to have kids, now that Emmett's got his head out his ass. How everything is going to change."

She took a healthy bite of toast and looked thoughtful again.

"Well, that's to be expected. They're getting married." I shrugged. "It'll never be quite the same but I can't imagine things being _that _different. Besides-" I wound my arms around her, hugging her from behind, "-we're going to have the same things soon ourselves."

She whirled around, eyes wide.

"We're what?"

"Don't you remember our conversation no too long ago? Babies… someday. You're still with me on that, right?"

She relaxed. "Yes sir," she affirmed, smiling wide.

**BPOV**

For one heart pounding moment, I thought he was, in some bizarre and casual way, proposing to me. I was terrified and elated in the same moment. I wasn't sure when, but I was pretty sure he was going to ask me soon.

We got ready in a rush. Rosalie was not a patient woman and she was not about to tolerate her maid of honor being late to help her dress. We drove in comfortable silence towards Forks at 10 am. I kept sneaking glances out of the corner of my eye at Jasper. He looked incredibly handsome and sexy in his dark blue suit, white button-down shirt open at the collar, with no tie.

Emmett had insisted that no man at his wedding had to wear a tie. He hated the things and I don't even want to know what he had to do to convince Rosalie to let him have the 'no ties' rule.

I was nervous, plain and simple. I was terrified that I was going to trip down the aisle, or screw up my maid of honor's toast, or inadvertently flash my underwear at the guests, or something equally horrifying. Rose had insisted on putting me in the tightest, shortest maid of honor's dress that I had ever seen and the tallest stilettos known to humanity. I was furious.

But Rose got what Rose wanted, and here I was in a tight, satiny pink dress that barely covered my ass and tits. Jasper hadn't complained once, and had threatened to keep me in bed all day, which had been a rather tempting offer, but sadly one I couldn't accept. The way he looked at me… I shivered at the thought.

"What, honey?" he asked, glancing at me quickly and reaching for the dial to crank it warmer. "Are you cold?"

"No… I was just thinking…"

"About…?"

"What it would have been like if you had kept me hostage all day."

He groaned. "Woman, you're going to be the death of me, I swear." His hand moved to cover my thigh and he rubbed my knee and lower thigh sensuously.

We drove into Forks a short time later and I had to shake off my erotic thoughts of Jasper that were constantly bombarding me. He was busy trying to control his breathing and I had a feeling he was doing the same about me. _I'll jump him later tonight_, I promised myself.

Approaching Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme's mansion, it became instantly apparent that there would be a wedding held there. The trees in their long driveway were covered in delicate fabrics and what I assumed would be white lights when the evening dimmed.

We were one of the first people to get there and I was immediately ushered upstairs by Renee and Esme, and Rosalie's mother, Irina. They were already in their clothes, updos and makeup and all looked beautiful.

They all squealed over my dress and gushed over how beautiful Jasper and I looked together. I was pretty sure my face was tomato red.

"Alright, Jasper, you go up to Emmett's room, go smoke cigars with the guys," Renee said, pushing him up the stairs towards the left. "Bella, come with us!" and we veered towards the right to where Rosalie was getting ready.

I was ushered into the room and found Rose and Tanya sitting on the bed talking animatedly. Tanya was in a pale yellow chiffon dress which flowed over her growing baby bump and Rosalie was wearing a her underwear. It was lacy and white and I knew Emmett would go out of his mind when he finally peeled her white dress from her and saw her in it. Rose leapt up and hugged me tightly.

"I'm getting MARRIED!!!" she shouted in my ear. The expression on her face was so happy and content that I couldn't bear to give her a sarcastic reply.

Before we knew it, after a whirlwind of waterproof mascara, lace, and hairspray, it was time for the ceremony, which would be held along the edge of the forest on Carlisle and Esme's property. They had set up an archway of natural branches and greenery. It looked natural and beautiful.

I managed to not kill myself on the way up the aisle and I kept my eyes on Jasper the entire time. His smile was wide and he looked so handsome. I couldn't help but think about when I'd walk up the aisle towards him, veil delicately placed over my face.

Emmett had the biggest grin on his face I'd ever seen when Rose and her father finally walked up the aisle. I could tell she was already on the verge of tears, her smile the most genuine and loving I'd ever seen.

They exchanged vows, the most simple and traditional, and when the officiate pronounced them husband and wife, Emmett swooped Rosalie in the biggest and wettest kiss imaginable. Everyone was blushing, including Rose. She slapped him on the arm playfully, with a giant grin on her face afterwards.

The reception was also held at the mansion, and it was lucky that their house was so big, because it felt like Rose had invited the entire town of Forks and then some.

Jasper and I were making small talk with Angela and Ben, sipping flutes of champagne, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red.

My eyes snapped to the color and saw that Elizabeth Masen was making the circuit across the reception. A pang of fear and anger echoed through my body. Jasper felt me tense beside him, and he moved marginally closer to me, leaned to whisper in my ear.

"Are you OK?"

"Mrs. Masen is here," I hissed through my teeth.

He frowned. "Where?"

"The bitch in the red, tight dress. Red hair, fake smile."

His eyes settled on her and he narrowed his eyes. "It's OK, we'll just try to avoid her."

"The last thing I want is for her to go ballistic on me at their wedding." That was my greatest fear. She could say anything she wanted to me, I really didn't care. But I wasn't about to let this woman ruin Emmett and Rosalie's happy day.

Elizabeth kept moving through the crowd, finally stopping to talk with Rosalie's mother, who was standing within earshot of Jasper and I, behind us.

"Irina, my darling!" she exclaimed in a fake, nasally voice, and I cringed. I could hear the fake "European" kisses being exchanged and I bit my lip to hide my laughter. Elizabeth Masen sure was a piece of work.

"Hello, Elizabeth," Irina said pleasantly. I knew that Irina had to good sense to despise the woman, so I grinned at her false friendliness. "Thank you for coming to the wedding. I know it means so much to my Rosalie and Emmett."

"Oh yes, I'm having a wonderful time. It all looks so beautiful. Rosalie is such a gorgeous bride, who designed her dress?"

I rolled my eyes and tuned out the pleasantries. Mrs. Masen was endlessly shallow.

"And how is Edward these days?" Irina asked.

"Coping," Mrs. Masen said curtly.

"Oh?"

"It's a very _long _story, Irina, and I _don't _want to go into details, but essentially, Edward is recovering from a horrendous breakup with his girlfriend, Alice, and losing his position as an intern at the hospital in Chicago."

She sniffed indignantly.

I was rejoicing on the inside. Smart Alice! Smart hospital! I couldn't hide my ridiculous grin.

"Oh, how terrible! I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Yes. Well. He's moved to Los Angeles. Seems a hospital offered him a position there on a _temporary _basis. He's not happy. The hospital isn't in a very _good _neighborhood."

"Perhaps he can help the underprivileged in that case."

I couldn't see her face, but I was sure that Mrs. Masen had drawn herself up into an erect pose and was trying to hide her inner horror at the idea. _Shallow, uncaring, selfish bitch. _

"Perhaps." Her tone was even and cool and had lost much of its phony niceties. "It was simply _lovely _to talk with you, Irina, but I _must _go and visit with the Newtons. I'll see you around, dear." Two more fake kisses on the cheeks and Mrs. Masen was gone in a cloud of sickeningly sweet perfume.

I looked at Jasper with a huge smile.

"Karma's a bitch, ain't it?"

He pulled me into a swift hug and kissed the side of my neck.

"C'mon, let's dance."

Rosalie and Emmett had already had their turn for their first dance, which was to a classic Frank Sinatra tune. I had tears in my eyes as I watched them sway together. They looked so unbelievably happy and though I'd seen them hold each other a million times, his arms never looked more secure around her, her body never as in tune with his. It was romantic, and intense, and I almost had to look away.

Jasper gave me a squeeze around my waist, bringing me back to the present. It was a fast song, but easy to dance to, for which I was grateful. My feet were killing me in my shoes. I considered chucking them aside and go barefoot, but I knew Rose and Renee would heavily disapprove.

There wasn't a formal dinner as it was an afternoon wedding and guests started to drift home by twilight. Rose still threw her bouquet, and Emmett took his time finding Rose's garter, bringing the guests to a roaring laughter.

Rose and Emmett left straight from their wedding to the airport, where they'd catch the plane to their honeymoon. The destination was a secret. It was the one thing Rosalie had trusted Emmett with and he had refused to give away any details.

I had a feeling that Rose was in for two weeks of a rotating, circular bed with mirrors on the ceilings. I shuddered at the thought.

We tried to stay for the clean-up committee, but Esme was having none of it. "You kids have been here all day, go enjoy yourselves."

"We did enjoy ourselves, that's why we need to stay and clean!"

But she was firm and we found ourselves in our cars and waving goodbye to my family.

"What a day," I sighed, sinking into the seat and kicking off my shoes.

"A good one, overall," he agreed. "They look happy."

"And they will be. I feel it."

"Yup."

A sudden movement came out of the corner of my eye… a deer. And then there was the impact.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: So, this is the next to last chapter, and then there'll be an epilogue of sorts. So sad it's coming to an end!!! Thanks so much to everyone that has reviewed. Still, I'd love to know what the rest of you guys think. I know loads of you are reading!!! So please, take a few seconds and let me know what you're thinking. It means so much to me. Thanks!!! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, now or ever. **

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty-six

**JPOV**

I saw the deer and heard Bella's shout. "Oh God, Jasper, look out!"

I don't know how, but I was able to process that swerving would be worse than hitting it straight on and the next thing I knew, I was slamming my brakes and the deer was hitting the front bumper. It flew to the side of the road and we screeched to a halt at the shoulder of the road.

People always say moments like these pass slowly before your eyes. They're wrong. Split seconds go by even faster and you don't even know what's happening.

My heart was pounding and adrenaline was surging through my body. I was panting for breath as I looked over at Bella. She was wide eyed and terrified, but she was fine. We were fine.

"Are you OK?" she asked breathily.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah."

Our car and the deer were dead, but we weren't wrapped around a tree, and that's all I cared about. The roads were empty and we were on the side of the road. We would have phone service…

Not that you ever want to be in an accident but this was a good way to have one all in all.

"That was just so sudden," Bella gasped. "I can't believe how fast. Jasper, you're so amazing, you didn't panic, you didn't freak out…"

She was suddenly in my arms and kissing my face all over. I returned her embrace and we kissed deeply. There was nothing sexual about it. It was a kiss of relief, of survival.

"I love you," she breathed.

"I love you, too. Now… let's call Gramps. We don't want to worry your family."

"Right."

I dialed Gramps and he was in his car and headed our way in less than five minutes.

We were both jittery and neither one of us could stop talking. The adrenaline really threw us for a loop, I guess.

I jumped out of the car to inspect the damage. The front right headlight was completely obliterated and the bumper and hood were creased and bent from the impact. I tried to ignore the bits of deer hair and blood smeared across the car.

"I'm sure it looks worse than it is… but for now, the car isn't going anywhere."

"Oh, Jasper, your car…" Bella looked worried.

"Eh, it's nothing. Could've been worse," I assured her.

We looked up at the now dark night sky, and I realized that we were so far from any town or light source, that you could see the Milky Way. We leaned against the back bumper and watched the hazy strand of galaxy stretch across the sky. Granted, it was a small strand, thanks to the trees we were surrounded by, but it was still breathtaking. Several shooting stars shot across and I watched Bella tightly close her eyes and make a wish.

I held Bella in my arms keeping her from the brisk night breeze. She was wrapped in my suit jacket and she looked tiny and adorable. I kissed her once, then twice.

The entire time not one car drove by us.

Gramps pulled up a half an hour later, looking sick with worry. He jumped out of his old blue Ford F150 after barely throwing it into park.

"Are you guys OK? I called a towing company, they're coming, what about the deer, is it dead? We should call the sheriff about that, I think… Are you OK? No broken bones? No scrapes? Wow, the car looks bad…"

He was white as a ghost.

"Gramps, calm down, it's OK. We're fine. The car isn't so great, but we're fine."

He gave up both enormous hugs.

"I'm so sorry, it's just when you called… it was like your parents… after a wedding…"

He couldn't finish his sentence. Bella looked alarmed.

"Jasper?"

I sighed and walked her out of Gramps' earshot.

"I told you how my parents died in a car crash when I was a kid. Well, it was when they were coming home from a wedding, just like us. My mom's cousin. It was night and my dad had had one champagne too many. He wasn't drunk, he was below the legal limit, but it affected his reaction time and they were going too fast. A bicyclist was on the side of the road and my dad swerved to miss him. He missed the biker… but he wrapped the car around a light pole and he died on impact. My mom… she died a little while after, on the way to the hospital. Head trauma. So hearing that I'm in a car crash right after a wedding… Gramps is remembering the night he lost his son and daughter-in-law."

Bella's eyes were swimming with tears.

"Oh, Jasper," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

She pulled me into a hug and I let her cry softly.

"Hey. Look at me." She gazed up at me, brown eyes rimmed with red and swimming with tears. "We're OK. You're fine… I'm fine… That's all that matters. And I love you."

I kissed her forehead and brushed away her tears.

"You're right," she said with a shaky smile. She walked over to Gramps, and gave him another huge hug.

"We're OK, Gramps," I heard her reassure him.

**BPOV**

It took the tow truck over an hour to reach us and then we drove back in Gramps' rattled old pickup. It smelled of motor oil and vanilla and the radio didn't work, but I loved it.

Gramps dropped us off at our house and we went straight to bed. After the adrenaline wore off, I was exhausted. We fell asleep with late night TV on in the background, facing each other and holding hands.

In the morning, I called my mom, and of course she threw a fit that we didn't call them last night, but I assured her everything was alright. That we weren't hurt and that Gramps truly didn't mind coming to get us.

"Of course, Jasper will borrow our car until his is repaired," Renee said fiercely.

"No Mom, that's not necessary, he'll just-"

"Bella, don't be silly. You both need a car. You work tomorrow in Forks, correct?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

"Phil and I will bring the car up tonight after he gets off work."

"Fine, then you have to have dinner with us tonight."

"Deal. See you and your gorgeous man later, Bella!" and then she hung up.

I rolled my eyes.

Jasper strolled into the kitchen, wearing a white T-shirt and red boxers. He still had a bit of bed head, and he was wearing his glasses. My heart skipped several beats.

"Who was that?" he asked. I realized I still held the receiver in my hand.

"My mom," I said, hanging up the phone. "They're bringing you a car to borrow for awhile while yours gets repaired."

He groaned. "I _hate _borrowing things from people… I hate _asking _for things."

"Renee insisted. You're not getting out of this one, buddy. You know how persuasive she can be."

"Right." He looked grumpy. Even with a frown on his face, he was unbelievably sexy.

"C'mere," I prompted, holding my arms out to him. He swallowed me in his embrace and I melted against him.

"I'm so tired from yesterday," I complained. "Let's go take a nap."

"It's 10 o'clock in the morning!" he said, clearly amused. "I just woke up."

"Fine. Read. I'll keep nice and quiet for you, so when I touch myself before I fall asleep, I won't disturb you. I wouldn't want you to run up the stairs to see what's wrong when I call out your name."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You're… you're going to… uh…."

He got a glazed look then and I knew I had him.

"Yeah, I figure I'll just pretend my fingers are your tongue, and-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence as he swooped me into an intense, bone-melting kiss.

Before I knew it, he was lifting me into his arms and walking up the stairs. We stopped at the top and he pushed me roughly against the wall.

If he hadn't held me up, I knew I would have simply fallen to the ground. His kisses were intense and powerful, yet loving. I wanted to be closer… infinitely closer.

As if he could read my mind, Jasper pulled me from the wall, and carried me the rest of the way into our bedroom, his lips never leaving mine for a moment.

He laid me across the bed and quickly covered my body with his. My legs went instantly around his waist and he ground his erection against me. I whimpered and attached my lips to his neck.

"Bella," he gasped. "I need you."

He ground himself into me again making sure I knew just how much he needed me.

I kissed him again and we began tearing clothes off each other. It felt like eternity before my bare skin made contact with his and we both groaned in pleasure.

He sunk into my heat slowly and it was perfect. He was made to love me just this way. We fit together so perfectly. We moved together and slowly, yet still too soon, we found our release and he collapsed on top of me. I loved feeling his wonderful weight on top of me.

"Marry me," he gasped, nuzzling my neck

"What?!"

He looked down at me with an unreadable expression. "Shit, I didn't mean to say that."

The pain was searing. I couldn't breathe. The lump in my throat was so big; I couldn't speak even if I had wanted to. The tears instantly formed and I couldn't move fast enough away from him. My stomach twisted and I felt like I was about to vomit.

"No, Bella, I didn't mean it like that, I-"

"I'm sorry that the thought of marrying me is too awful for you to comprehend. Well, don't worry. I would've said no anyway."

Had he not smashed my heart to pieces five seconds prior, I would have instantly felt guilty at the look of pain and heart break on his face. He sat up, the sheet pooling around his waist as he watched me dress quickly and start pulling a bag together.

"Bella, no, don't do this. Let me explain, please," he pleaded but I blocked him out. I grabbed clothes blindly out of my closet and threw them into my bag.

"I'll be at my mom's house," I said stiffly. "Please don't try to contact me."

And with that, I left the house. I tried very hard not to notice the devastated look on his face as I slammed the door.

I drove all of two blocks before I had to pull over and that's when the tears came.

**A/N II: So... they didn't die in a car crash.... *ducks and hides from various things being thrown at her* Trust me, please!!! This isn't the end... of anything. **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: So, this is the last official chapter of The Bookshop, though there will be an epilogue. I'm so sad to see this story ending... I didn't realize how big a part of my life it was until I finished writing the epilogue last night. Thanks to everyone for all their support, most especially EmmaleeWrites05 and LittleLea05 for being awesome betas for me. I love you girls!!! AND, we hit 400 reviews last chapter, which made me so happy!!! I'd love to hear from everyone who's been reading- PM me if you're shy!!!**

**Also, I have a story in the MissAlex's and Larin20's One-Shot Lurkers Challenge, called "Window of Opportunity." If you like it, please review to vote for me!!! There are other wonderful fics you may love, too, so if they get your vote, I understand 100%. :-) .net/s/5221200/6/MissAlexs_and_Larin20s_OneShot_Lurkers_Challenge**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Twilight. Still. **

**The Bookshop**

Chapter Twenty-seven

**JPOV**

I never knew I could hurt so much. It was like my heart and lungs had been pulled from my chest, and I could no longer live.

I stared at the door, expecting her to come through it at any moment. Like it was a joke. Like I hadn't made a complete asshole of myself. Like the love of my life hadn't just walked away from me.

I called her. Over and over. She never answered my calls. I borrowed Gramps' truck and went to see her. Phil seemed to be sympathetic, but he turned me away every time. One evening, I caught a glimpse of her through the open door, and it broke my heart all over again. She looked pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was fragile, and I had broken her. She burst into tears and ran from the room, Renee following closely.

I hated myself.

It was a complete misunderstanding… Of course I wanted her to be my wife. I'd been planning for months, to make it perfect…

But it didn't matter anymore. She didn't want to see me, let alone allow my to explain myself. She had left so fast, I couldn't process what was happening, enough to stop it.

I should have chased her. I should have gave her the ring right then and there. I should have told her she meant the world to me, and that I couldn't live without her. Because now I had to, and it was killing me.

I spent a lot of time at Gramps and Charlotte's house. There were a lot of memories held there with Bella, but it stung less keenly than at… our… house. It hurt to sleep in our bed. It still smelled like her.

Gramps was trying to figure out how I could win her back. But I knew that flowers, presents, and sweeping romantic gestures wouldn't win her over. She wasn't that kind of girl.

And besides… she had said she would have said no. I couldn't forget that. The pain it had caused me. Knowing she didn't want to be my wife. I thought we were on the same page… that we wanted the same things…

One week, then two crawled by. I barely felt life. I went to work, I stayed at Gramps', and I think I ate. I think I breathed. But it meant nothing. It was all a blur. She was the thing that kept life in focus, and now she was gone.

Nothing held joy for me anymore, because she was my joy, she was my oxygen, she was my life, she was my everything.

A few days later, a Saturday, I was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. I had papers in my lap to grade, but I couldn't concentrate on anything.

The phone rang, bursting my silent bubble, and though my heart hoped that it was Bella, begging me to come back to her, my head knew it wasn't her. I was terrified those days were gone.

"Hello?"

My voice sounded weak and shallow even to my own ears.

"Jasper? How the hell are you?" Emmett's booming voice came through the phone, and I had to hold the phone away from my head.

"Uh… not so good," I admitted. I knew he and Rose had just got back from their honeymoon, and I was certain that he knew about Bella and me.

"Listen, buddy, can I come over? I hate this phone shit."

To say I was surprised was an understatement. "Uh, sure."

"Great, cuz I'm in your driveway, and I would've hated to make this trip for nothing."

I allowed a choked out laugh escape my throat, but it too sounded hallow and fake. _Fuck, I'm falling apart. _

He had hung up, and seconds later I heard him knocking on the door.

I swung open the door, and Emmett walked in, making himself comfortable on my couch instantly. I sat in the armchair across from him.

"Dude, you look like shit," he observed.

"Well, believe me, I feel worse than I look."

His eyes were sympathetic. "Yeah, Rose told me. Bella's a wreck. What happened?"

I explained my sad story, of how I'd been planning on proposing for months, of how I'd fucked up and proposed post-orgasm, and how I'd taken it back immediately because I hadn't meant it to come out, that I wanted it to be better than that.

"Fuck, man, that's bad. Did you know that's how I proposed to Rose?"

I snorted. Figures that Emmett would.

"So how are you going to get her back?"

"How can I?"

"She wants you, man. Forever. And if you want that, too, then goddamn it, tell her! You're going to lose her if you keep up this bullshit."

"She doesn't want to see me. She won't answer my calls, she won't see me when I go to her house…"

"Bella may pretend like she hates your guts, but believe me, nothing could be further from the truth. You just have to be there. Don't let her get away. Don't take no for an answer. Fight for her. That's what she wants. That's what all chicks want." I knew he was thinking about his fight with Rose about a family.

"You're right," I admitted.

"Stop being a pussy and go get her!"

"Now?"

"Yes now. It's 5 o'clock, and she's still at work at the bookshop. Go get her. Sweep her off her feet and all that shit. You have to. Jasper, I have complete faith in you, man."

"You're a good person, Emmett, you know that?"

"I try. Although, I do have to admit I wouldn't be here if Rosie hadn't threatened to take away my sexy time with her."

I laughed, my first genuine laugh in two weeks. It felt strange, but good. Suddenly I had hope.

"OK, I'm going. Now," I declared, and I stood and strode out the door, leaving Emmett grinning widely on my couch. I didn't even close the door. I knew Emmett would take care of it, and even if he didn't, I couldn't care less. Robbers could steal whatever they wanted. I only needed Bella to survive.

I couldn't drive to Forks fast enough. I was impatient and nervous as hell. I realized with a start that I had forgotten her ring upstairs in the dresser drawers, but at this point, it didn't matter. I was going to speak now, or forever hold my peace.

I parked in front of the bookshop in haste, and suddenly remembered why I was rushing. And it was terrifying. The _what ifs _started pounding in my brain, and I was paralyzed in my seat. Then I remembered Emmett's words. _'Stop being a pussy and go get her!'_

Those words alone were enough to fuel me, propelling me out of the car and towards Bella.

There she stood, at the counter, as pale and beautiful as I remembered her. Just like the first time we met, she was reading, and there were no other customers in the shop. I stood there for a moment, simply looking at her, trying to re-memorize her. It had only been two and a half weeks since we'd last been together, but it felt like eternity.

I took a deep, cleansing breath before I twisted the handle of the door, allowing myself in. The bell on the door rattled, and she didn't look up right away.

And just like the first time I'd seen her, the words of greeting on her lips died. Unlike the first time I'd seen her, there was no raging blush on her cheeks, no stammering, no intense eye contact, no undressing me with her eyes. She shrunk back in her seat, and looked down again.

I could see the tears falling fast, and I had to stop them. I hated that I had hurt her once. I wasn't about to do it again.

"Bella," I said softly, and her shoulders shook harder. _Shit._

_"_Go away Jasper," she said, her voice shaky and watery.

"No." I said the word calmly and firmly. I wasn't going anywhere.

"You made your intentions very clear, Mr. Whitlock," she said stiffly, still not looking at me. "And since we're clearly not on the same page, I think it's best if we end this relationship."

"No," I said, ignoring her use of my name formally. "I'm not going anywhere until you agree to come home with me and let me make you my wife."

Bella whipped her head up so fast I thought she was going to give herself whiplash.

"What did you just say?"

I sighed. "Bella, I never meant to take back what I said. I've always wanted you… wanted _us. _I want to marry you. I want us to grow old together, and have a whole mess of kids, and fight and make up, and be with you forever. And I wanted to tell you, I wanted to ask you so many times. And I thought I had to wait for the perfect moment. And until I lost you, I didn't realize that every moment with you already _was _perfect. And I went and I fucked it up. I was so sure I wanted it to be perfect that when it slipped out I couldn't believe it. I didn't mean to say it then, but I mean it now. And I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm so sorry you thought I didn't want you, because believe me, you're the only thing I want. Need. I need you, Bella. I can't live without you."

She stared at me for a long time. Tears were still streaming down her face, and her expression was unreadable. It was torture, waiting for her to say something, anything. Even if she rejected me, told me to leave her forever, at least I'd know how she felt. I couldn't stand not knowing.

"So… you really want to be with me? You want to marry me?" She asked this very carefully and slowly. She looked down at her hands, fiddling with the bind on her book.

"Of course. Bella, my love, that's all I've ever wanted."

She looked at me again, this time, her eyes hopeful, though still shimmering with tears. I wanted so badly to reach forward and brush them away. Kiss them away so they'd never come back.

"Are you going to get on your knee, or what?" she asked.

The look on my face must have been hilarious, because a tiny giggle escaped, but I didn't fucking care. I felt relief, joy, elation… every fucking happy feeling in the world, all at that moment.

I dropped immediately to my knee. "I don't have the ring with me, it's at home…"

"I don't care," she murmured, walking slowly towards me from behind the counter. My heart was pounding in my chest. "You just said the most beautiful things to me. I don't need a freaking ring. I just need you, Jasper. That's all I ever needed. I don't need "perfection". You're perfect enough."

She stood before me, tears still shining in her eyes. "Ask me. Please." Her voice had almost a desperate tone, as if I would still run from her when given the chance. I had to prove her that I'd never do it.

I held her hands in mine as I gazed up at her. "Bella Swan, love of my life, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she said, and then broke into tears again. I was worried for a moment, until she looked at me, and though her eyes were red, they were full of love and happiness, and she had a huge smile on her face. "Yes, yes, yes," she repeated, and knelt on the ground in front of me.

"I missed you so much," she breathed.

"I missed you, too," I said, hugging her tightly to me. I felt whole again.

**BPOV**

The pain from my body eased as he held me tightly. The emptiness I had been feeling the last two weeks was suddenly filled. I knew, then and there, I couldn't live without Jasper… and now I never had to.

I would be his wife. We'd both have everything we'd ever dreamed of. Yes, it was a romantic notion, but I couldn't help but feel like it would come true.

I buried my face into his neck, ignoring the pain in my knees as we knelt on the rough wooden floor of my workplace. He smelled just like I'd remembered, but better. Everything was better now.

I knew I was still crying, and I didn't care. These were happy tears. I was happier in this moment than any other in my life.

Jasper pulled away slightly, so that we were still embracing, and looking at each other. I saw that he was crying, too, and grinning like a fool. I'm sure I looked the same. I brushed away the tear that fell from his eye, down his cheek, and he did the same for me, though he had a bigger job to do. I hadn't stopped crying in two and a half weeks. He pulled me to my feet, and then wrapped me into his arms again.

He tilted my head back so that I was looking deeply into his eyes. I tried to tell him everything I felt in that moment. I think he understood, but I had to make sure he'd always know, every single day, what he meant to me. Without him, I was nothing.

When we kissed, I nearly lost control. It had been so long… too long… since we'd kissed, and the intensity of the moment made the kiss even more spectacular. I never, ever wanted to pull away. I moaned into his mouth when he finally deepened it, and his grip on me was incredibly tight, like he was afraid I'd slip away from him again. _Never._

We poured our feelings into the kiss, and I felt every single one deeply in my bones. He weakened me and strengthened me, and I'd never be able to live without him ever again. Why I thought I could even try was beyond me. He healed me, made me whole.

Soon, far too soon, the bell rang on the door again, and a young couple strolled in. Jasper and I leapt apart, and I'm sure my face, like my body, was on fire, but they barely noticed as they disappeared among the stacks.

I took my place back behind the counter, and Jasper followed.

"I close in an hour," I told him, reaching out so he could hold me again. I couldn't care less who saw us. "And then let's go home."

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, and kissed me soundly again.

_Home._


	28. Epilogue

**A/N: So this is it... the end of The Bookshop... I'm seriously sad about it!!! A HUGE THANKS to everyone who has read and reviewed. You guys are awesome!!!! I loved your feedback, it made me smile every single day. Thanks most especially, to EmmaleeWrites05 and LittleLea05 who played beta for me, and always supported this fic!!! **

**This, in all likelihood, will not be my last J/B fic... I'm just moving on to an Em/B fic at the moment, _Crashing Head On. _The first chapter's up on my profile, if you're so inclined to check it out!!! It's going to be a lot of fun. I also have my entry to MissAlex's and Larin20's Lurker Challenge, _Window of Opportunity, _which would love your reviews/votes!!! :-) **

**Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Twilight!!!!**

**The Bookshop**

Epilogue

**BPOV**

"Jasper, get your cute butt out here! We're going to be late!"

"Alright, alright, I'll be right there," came his muffled voice from behind the bathroom door. We were in the hotel room in Texas, getting ready for the reenactment. I'd managed to find an elaborate Civil War period costume to wear, much more realistic and elegant than the one I'd worn long ago for Halloween.

It seemed like forever ago that Jasper had been my date for Rose and Emmett's Halloween bash, when we were still getting to know each other, when we were still desperate for our first time together. I smiled at the memory of him nearly taking me against a tree in the rain. Then, we had been reluctant. Now… we'd have to make our way to a forest soon to try and recreate the scene. I blushed at my own thoughts, and turned to the present.

This dress actually reminded me a lot of Scarlett O'Hara's dress for the party at Tara. It wasn't white, because I couldn't take away from the bride, obviously, but it was a light blue with a darker blue flower print, ruffled off the shoulder sleeves, and a giant hoop skirt. I had a ridiculously large straw hat, which I would carry until absolutely necessary, and my waist was cinched with a dark blue ribbon.

I twirled around in front of the mirror, proud of myself for dressing on my own, and feeling like a proper Southern belle.

The glittering thing on my hand caught the light, catching my attention. I held my hand up closer to my face to admire the rings found there. Five years my engagement ring and wedding band had stayed on that finger. Simple and beautiful, just like my relationship with Jasper. Five years I'd been his wife, and damn if we weren't going to stay that way for a great while longer. Forever, if possible.

"OK, baby, I'm- whoa!" Jasper said, stepping out of the bathroom and freezing at the sight of me. I in turn lost my breath as I took in his form. We stared at each other intensely, looking each other up and down. I licked my lips eagerly.

Jasper was in his Confederate officer's uniform, and his honey-colored hair was falling into his eyes. There was nothing sexier than my man in uniform. I nearly swooned, and not because my "corset" was too tight. It was more of the way his eyes studied me, taking in every inch of me. I felt hot under my proverbial collar when he looked at me like that.

"Fuck me," I heard him whisper.

"What was that, dear?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear. My hands rose to my hips, in an attempt to look indignant, but instead, my hands smoothed the fabric of my dress.

I spun to give him a proper view. "You like?"

He growled, and was suddenly on me, kissing the breath out of me. One hand held me firmly to him at the small of my back, while the other ran in my hair, effectively destroying the perfect curls I'd painstakingly created.

I wanted to protest, but the way he was kissing me felt far too good. I clung to him, mindful of the buttons and pins attached. I wanted nothing more than to rip off his clothes and fuck him silly.

Reluctantly, he pulled back, and stared deeply into my eyes.

"How in the hell am I going to keep my mind on the battle when you look like that?" he asked mournfully.

"Well…" I said slowly, toying with his top button. I affected a Southern accent, though a poor one. "Maybe it will help you win. Think of me on that battlefield… fight for me. Fight for me, for our future family, for our good Southern pride. And when you come home, I'll be waiting for you."

He groaned, burying his face in my neck.

"Bella, you're killing me." I noted that his accent was thicker, huskier, and the thought made my panties dampen. He began kissing and nibbling at my neck, and I relished in the sensation until I realized where we were and what I was wearing.

"Jasper, no! You can give me a hickey in this dress! Everyone will see!"

He groaned in displeasure and pulled away from me.

"It's taking everything I have in me not to rip this dress and have my wicked way with you," he informed me.

"Later," I promised him, and he growled low in his throat. The sound sent a shiver down my spine.

"Do you have any idea how late 'later' is? I can't wait… How much time do we have?"

"Are you serious?"

He looked at me like I was an idiot. Of course he was serious.

"Remind me why I'm fighting for you, baby. Make love to me," he said seductively. My heart nearly gave out, and my knees certainly did.

"I don't think we have time for making love…"

"Then fuck me."

I burst into laughter as he pulled me to the bed and pulled up the hem of my skirt without another word.

The hoopskirt flipped up, and whacked him directly in the face.

"Haven't fucked a Southern gal before, have you, soldier?" I asked as he blinked furiously, looking quite hilarious. He did that growling thing again. By now, my panties were drenched, and he hadn't done much more than kiss me and growl.

Sex god, I'm telling you.

I stood up to detach the hoop skirt as Jasper desperately reached for the buttons of his pants. When I was done, he reached up and pulled me back down, kissing me thoroughly.

He dipped his fingers beneath my underwear, and found that I was more than ready for him.

"Eager, are we?"

"Hell yes! Please, now!" I begged, and he granted my request after pulling off my panties.

We both groaned as he sunk into me, and we began a frantic pace, kissing furiously.

"Not… going… to… last… much… longer…" he gasped as he hitched my leg around his waist, allowing him to enter me more deeply. He continued to plow into me, my eyes rolling into the back of my head.

"Cum with me, baby," he demanded, and pinched my clit hard.

"Ung, fuck Jasper!" I screamed, and came soon after him.

I kissed him as he pulled out, and I groaned the loss. I truly felt empty without him.

"We really are going to be late," he said, rebuttoning his pants. I hastily grabbed my panties and threw them back on, careful not to get any of our… err… fluids… onto my dress. Really should have thought that one through… But I was too well fucked to give a damn about that now.

"I love you," I said, pulling him in for a quick kiss, which turned into something more lengthy.

I simply could not get enough of this man.

We showed up the reenactment camp fifteen minutes late.

Charlotte rushed to greet me. "Bella, sweetie, I'm so glad you're here now! You look simply lovely. But… what happened to your hair?"

Her expression was so innocent, I couldn't help but blush. Upon seeing my blush, a knowing look passed over her face, and she grinned. "Ah. Never mind. I don't want to know."

We followed the crowds, and took our places underneath the shade of some trees. The Texas heat was killing me. Even after all the years of visiting Texas and sitting under the baking hot sun, I guess I had finally fully acclimated to the Pacific Northwest, because I soon became worried I was going to sweat terribly in the dress.

I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what was going on the entire time of the reenactment. I may have written several books set during the Civil War, but I knew nothing about what was going on before me. Jasper had never managed, despite his passion for war history, to distill any amount of interest in it for me, beyond his sexy uniform. Basically, I just saw a lot of people fall down in front of me in a melee of "bodies" and "shots."

And, to add insult to injury, I couldn't pick out Jasper out of the crowd. I knew he was one of the guys up on a horse, but there were enough for me to not know which one was my sexy husband. I pouted to myself.

Charlotte, Rosalie and I sat in the shade and continually fanned ourselves in the stifling heat. We were all dressed in period costumes, mainly in preparation for Gramps and Charlotte's fifth anniversary dinner, which meant extra layers. Rose looked particularly uncomfortable, as she was more than seven months pregnant with her and Emmett's second child.

Emmett had taken immediately to the idea of family, and only two years after their wedding, Rosalie was pregnant with their first child, a daughter named Kate. Tanya and Felix's son, Garrett, took an immediate liking to her, and it already seemed that at ages five and three, they were going to be married someday. Esme and Carlisle were probably back in Forks spoiling the two rotten at that very moment.

Rose was pregnant with a boy this time around, and wasn't giving out name ideas, to my dismay. I couldn't wait to be an "auntie" again.

"I can't see Emmett," Rosalie whined.

"He's probably been shot already," I said, smirking. I'll never forget the day that Jasper convinced Emmett to join his regiment and the two began traveling the country during the summers battling the Yankees. Actually, what I won't forget is the look on Rose's face when Emmett told her. She'd been pregnant then, too, and from what I heard, Emmett got denied sex for far longer than he would have preferred.

"No, wait! I think I see him!" she said excitedly, grabbing her binoculars to get a closer view. "Damn. Just some guy who probably has a hog and an American flag bandana someplace," she said crossly.

"Probably stars and bars, not stars and stripes," I said casually, causing Charlotte to laugh heartily. Rose, very maturely, stuck her tongue out at me in response.

"So, Bella, why were you and Jasper late? Don't tell me you got stuck in traffic _again," _Rose asked suggestively.

I really didn't want my grandmother-in-law privy to this conversation, but she also looked at me with curiosity.

"Yes, Bella, it seems you two are always late to these events. Why is that?"

I narrowed my eyes at them, and she and Rose burst into giggles. I'm sure I was beet red.

"Jasper really liked my costume," I said mildly, pretending to pay attention to the field. "And he wasn't so bad, himself."

Rose and Charlotte laughed for a good long while at that, and I ignored them.

"I can't blame you there, Bella! I have a hard time keeping my hands to myself when Peter-"

"Charlotte, I love you, but I beg you not to finish that sentence!" I pleaded. Rose did nothing but giggle like a maniac.

It seemed like forever before the Yankees surrendered and the Rebels waved their flags in victory. The crowd around us roared, and the three of us clapped in our support.

Nearly an hour later, after gathering our blankets and coolers, we found the boys in the camp, still on a victory glow. I still didn't understand how they could get so excited, when they knew they'd win to begin with. The thing happened a hundred and fifty some odd years ago, and the outcome was still the same…

Jasper, Emmett and Gramps stood together, talking with some others from their group, all smiles. I paused to stare at Jasper for a moment. His face was streaked with dust and sweat, his cheeks flushed with sunburn and excitement. His uniform was all kinds of dirty and I knew we'd have yet another expensive dry cleaning bill soon.

I'd never been more attracted to him.

The three of us rushed to our men, congratulating them and generally making a spectacle of ourselves. Jasper kissed me roughly. "See? I told you I'd win for hearth and family!"

"My hero," I drawled, batting my eyelashes comically.

**JPOV**

Gramps and Charlotte's anniversary dinner was small, but fun. Emmett, Gramps and I were ravenous after our battle, so I have to admit the majority of our time was spent gorging ourselves and drinking a lot of beer.

I missed the Texas heat, and the sparse landscape, but I had to finally admit that the Olympic Peninsula finally felt more like home. I had a very strong suspicion that my wife had more to do with that than anything. Wherever she was, there was home.

Bella was lounging comfortably in the evening shade, talking with Gramps, and I sat and just watched her. The way she moved, the way she smiled and laughed, the way her eyes captivated me… I was falling in love with her all over again, and I had thought that was an impossibility. I was sure there was no way I could have loved her more.

I was wrong.

I still worked at the high school in Port Angeles, though I recently went back to school to get my masters in history. Need I say which era I was taking particular focus on? Bella was incredibly supportive of my decision. I hoped to someday get a PhD, and perhaps become a college professor. It was a pipe dream, but one I never kept far from reach.

Bella was already living her dream. By our first anniversary, she'd already had two books published, and an agreement with the publishing company for five more. I was always more than willing to help with her writer's block and "inspiration", even if the story wasn't Civil War related.

Two years after we married, we moved into a new house, this time one of our very own. It was still in Port Angeles, but was slightly bigger, and had two bedrooms, in case we ever had any additions.

Just the thought of Bella carrying my child was enough to make me want to drag her from this party and make love to her all night.

I did just that.

"Gramps, Charlotte, this has been so much fun, but I think Miss Bella here is in need of some rest. She's in this heat, it can't be good for her, you understand."

Charlotte looked at me knowingly. "Of course Jasper. We understand."

Bella looked slightly annoyed, but I winked at her, and she blushed. Everyone hugged, and before she could start any new conversations with the family, I was dragging her to the car, speeding our way to the hotel. My pants were already tight in anticipation.

I unlocked the door of the hotel, and before she could say another word, I pressed Bella against the door, kissing her deeply. She moaned into my mouth, and started pulling at my jacket. We began pulling clothes off haphazardly, knowing we should probably take more care, but not giving a shit.

I needed to feel her skin against mine. It took far too long, but I finally felt her sweet naked body against mine, and I groaned with pleasure.

We separated only to move towards the bed. Bella began biting my bottom lip, a sign she was getting aggressive. My stomach clenched with the implication.

Soon, I was sitting on the edge of the bed with Bella straddling my hips. My cock was pressing right against her soaking wet core, exactly where I needed to be. Bella continued kissing me with fervor, and I was kissing back just as greedily. I wanted to devour her.

"Jasper," she gasped. "I want to ride you."

I couldn't help but release a deep growl in the back of my throat. Fuck yes.

"Well, this is Texas, ma'am," I said in my thickest Texas accent. I could feel her get wetter, and I loved that I could still elicit this response from her so quickly, so easily. "And what was that song about? Saving horses and what?"

She giggled, and didn't respond. I didn't care, I was too caught up in the feel of my wife. We repositioned ourselves until my back was flat against the mattress, and she was hovering over me.

I couldn't stop staring at her. She was absolutely perfect. The light streaming through the windows made her mahogany hair shine, and she looked like a sex goddess straddling me. She was biting her lip, looking back at me.

"Jasper, honey, I need you so bad," she moaned, grinding her body against mine. My reaction was immediate. My hands flew to her hips, loving her subtle curves, trying to move her to where I desperately needed her.

"I'm yours," I told her, looking her directly in the eye. She shivered.

Slowly, inch by torturous inch, she sank down on me, until she was fully seated on me. I was already going insane. She was so tight, so wet…

Her hands immediately went to my chest, spreading her palms across for support as she moved up and down on me.

"Fuck, so good," she murmured.

I was enraptured by the look and feel of her. I watched as her breasts bounced with each thrust, and I wanted desperately to slip her nipples in my mouth. I propped myself up on my elbows, and feasted on her. She threw her head back and moved faster, moaning out my name.

If she kept that up much longer, I wouldn't be able to control myself.

It seemed she was close on the edge, too, as she slammed herself down on me again and again, reaching down to rub her clit frantically. I sucked harder on her nipple, causing her to cry out.

"Jasper, I'm… I'm…"

"Me, too, darlin'."

I slammed my hips up against hers over and over, faster and faster, until she was crying out and I spilled myself into her.

She collapsed against my chest, and I bit at her shoulder playfully.

"Mmm, so good," she moaned. "Giddy up."

I had to laugh. She sounded so sleepy as she said it.

"Did I tire you out already?"

"Mmm," she moaned, already snuggling into me. "You, the heat, and this little one here." She gestured towards her belly.

"Have you told them yet?"

"Who?" she asked, puzzled.

"Anyone…"

"Not yet. I kind of like having a tiny little secret." She opened her eyes and grinned at me.

"I can't wait. I still can't believe this is real."

"Trust me, after 3 o'clock feedings and diaper changes, you'll know it's real. Better yet, when I'm the size of a whale, you'll believe it's real. Like Rose," she teased.

"Rose isn't half as gorgeous as you'll be carrying my baby." I nuzzled her neck.

"We'll have to take pictures and compare," she said, yawning.

"C'mon, let's take a shower, nap for a bit, and then ravish each other senseless over and over," I said, kissing her neck.

"You don't play fair," she moaned. "How can I say no to that?"

I kissed her deeply. "I love you, Bella Whitlock."

"And I love you, Jasper Whitlock. Now, make love to me."

"Yes, ma'am!"

**A/N II: Is anyone crying like I am?? Please review, leave me some love one last time. Thanks one last time!!!!**


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